Another Day
by Judin
Summary: Who decides who should be free and who should be chained? A young man struggles against the upper class and falls in love. AU, yaoi KR, KT, others
1. My home is my freedom

Another Day

Chapter 1

_My home is__ my freedom_

Kai Hiwatari made his way through the streets of his home town. He blended well into the crowd; an art he had perfect long ago. On the surface he looked calm and unhurried, but inside he was tense and on his guard. He had been dragging a heavy sack along with both hands, but now he bent down and hung it over his shoulder. It was a lesson that all thieves had to learn if they wanted to stay in the game; don't carry your loot like it mattered to you, or everyone would recognise you for what you were. He knew that the hounds were still after him; they didn't give up easily. He had managed to shake them off once, but they knew his scent now, and could pick him out in the throng.

Rounding a corner, he caught sight of his pursuers; four, large, brutal-looking fellows with clubs. They were innocently hanging around, paying no heed to the angry saleswoman whose stand they were leaning on and blocking. They had stiff, blue uniforms that marked them as the upholders of the law, but for years now the police corps had been corrupted, with men hired for of their strength and lack of inhibitions. They held final authority not by law or moral superiority, but by brute force. The allies were crawling with cops these days; they'd been double hiring to try to cope with the rising crime rates in the slum.

Kai cursed his luck; there were more thieves than rodents in this part of town and yet he had to be the one they latched on to. He kept his head low and his pace steady, but of course they saw him.

"There he is!"

As soon as he heard the words, the slate haired teen broke into a run. No one lifted a finger to stop him, in fact the large crowd counted in Kai's favour; he was small and agile, and could dart between the people like a fish at sea, while the big warthogs that followed him had to plough their way through the mass, and that was slow work. The Hiwatari jumped over a row of barrels and darted into a side-street. He could hear shopkeepers yell after him, and then at the cops who simply pushed the fish-laden barrels out of the way. He sprinted down the narrow alley, quickly closing in on a dead end. He used his speed and managed to scale the plank wall easily, and a quick look behind him a moment later told him that only two of the four cops had managed to repeat the stunt.

After running for a little while, Kai entered familiar territory. He took a right turn into an even smaller passage and tossed the sack through a window, low on the right wall, before sliding in after it. He landed on the floor of a dusty basement, and stood still for a second, hardly daring to breathe even though his throat and lungs were on fire and his heart was beating like the hooves of a racing horse. As soon as he heard their footsteps and loud shouts go by, he grabbed the sack and tiptoed up the stairs to the first floor. He ducked under the planks that kept visitors out of the ramshackle house, ran down another alley, and finally he could fall down behind three bags of sand in a corner. There he stayed until he was certain that the thugs had given up. Then he headed home.

His home was just an old shed really, but it was the best that these alleys had to offer, and it was all that Kai needed. Once inside he sat down on a box and opened the sack. He was actually not quite sure what he had stolen; he had seen a man putting a flask of water in the sack, and clean water was a treasure like no other. So he had walked up the street like he belonged there, 'accidentally' bumped into the man and snatched the bag. Then he had used the old and never-failing tactic called 'run-like-hell-and-pray-the-cops-don't-catch-you', with a little experience and cunning on the side.

Now he took out the flask and opened it, drinking greedily of the life-giving liquid. When it was empty he sighed and stretched his aching muscles; he had been really lucky this time, even though he would pay for it with some rather nasty bruises and gashes tomorrow. He could already feel the sting in his side from where he had slid through the window, the splinters in his fingers from the rough plank wall and the pain in his jaw from where he had been punched the first time he was discovered. Still; the sack was full and the contents where promising, so Kai thought that it was enough to last a while. No reason to put himself out as a target more often than necessary.

Kai Hiwatari was the typical lone wolf. He had two-toned, grey and blue, short hair, sharp, red eyes and a strong body. He wore a tattered, black vest, brown breeches with torn knees, and worn shoes. Black triangles were painted on his cheeks in coal. He was rarely seen in the company of others, as he preferred solitude and his own thoughts to the noise of a crowd.

"Hello?"

The sudden call made him jump. He hid behind the door and listened, but when the voice called again Kai came out of his hiding place to greet the familiar figure, "Lee. You have to stop sneaking up on me like that."

In front of him stood a boy about five years older than him, in black breeches and a black vest. His arms, legs and chest were wrapped in white ribbons, and his black hair was held up with the same. The most noticeable things about this boy were his fangs, and the pupils that would slit when angry. Lee was the leader of the Tigers, currently a family of four; they had been a large group once, but most had been killed in a police raid, and the remaining children had been scattered.

Lee was the oldest of the four that had managed to rebuild the Tiger's old hideout. The only girl in the family was Mariah, Lee's girlfriend as well as the master thief of the family, green haired Kevin was the rascal who always got into trouble, and Gary...well he was Gary; big and burly, sort of slow but good to have in a fight. All of these shared the same feline traits that Lee possessed. The Tigers were the only friends Kai had; he had grown up with them and owed them his life many times over, for they had never thought twice about sharing their loot with him, or helping him out in a brawl.

Lee did not look his usual, composed and serious self, which told Kai that something had happened, but before he could ask, the other boy grabbed his arms, "Have you seen her? Have you seen Mariah?" The pink haired girl was perhaps the most feared thief in the entire district, known for her speed and cunning. She terrorised the streets and would always strike and be gone before you even realised she was there. Kai shook his head mutely at the other boy, and saw a dying reaction in his eyes. "Oh, well...I guess I'll keep looking then. Thanks anyway."

Kai was not the most emotional guy in the pack, but he couldn't let Lee walk away with that look on his face. "Wait! How long has she been gone?"

The Tiger looked at him, "A few hours. Why do you ask?"

Kai considered for a moment, but then he said, "I'll help you search. Four eyes are better than two." The slum was a cruel place to live; it had no mercy for its children, and Kai knew this well. Having friends to lean on might be the one thing that kept you alive at times.

Lee looked surprised, but accepted the help; Kai was a valuable guy to have on your side. Together, the two boys set off to find Mariah. They searched the alleys for her first, but it soon became obvious that they had to go out where the goods were. Driven by need they set their course towards the biggest street in the district, where the girl would most likely be operating. The closer they came, the more careful they stepped, keeping a constant lookout for the brutal arm of the law. Neither of the boys liked big open spaces; they hunted in the smaller streets where the loot was scarcer, but there were more hideouts and less cops, not to mention less competition. Finally they could peer out from a corner and observe the people passing by. There was no sign of the pink haired feline, so Lee and Kai were forced further out of their hiding place.

"Lee," Kai began, having spotted a couple of familiar faces in the crowd, "I've already been in trouble with the cops today. If they spot me you have to run in the opposite direction and keep looking. I'll shake them off and meet you again somewhere along the road." Lee nodded. The uniformed men were more obvious and seemed more numerous now that there were less people, but as the day-shift was approaching its close, they were also becoming lazy.

Lee spoke, "Well, they don't exactly like me either. We have to find Mariah fast or we will both be in trouble."

But the longer they walked the more anxious Lee became, until he had abandoned all thoughts of caution and was simply jogging along, looking and now and then calling out. Kai had no choice but to speed up as well, but he still kept a sharp eye out for smart cops, as rare as they were, who might recognise them.

They ended up at the Amber Market. It was a large circle with four arched entry points; one for each direction of the sky. Between them ran pillars that held up a narrow roof, and in the shade of this there were stands and restaurants, but there were also many stands and shops set up in the sun. The deep-orange cloth suspended above each stand, a sign that the merchant had permission to sell here, was what gave the Amber Market its name. None of these stands sold groceries, they sold silk and porcelain and jewellery and other fine things; Kai and Lee had crossed into the rich area of town.

The slum was not really inhabited by anyone else than the ones who had no real home; the slum rats, those who lived by theft, or by odd jobs. Just outside of their maze of alleys lay the general market were all the stands and stores selling fish, different meats, water, bread, cheeses, fruits and vegetables could be found. Servants and those too poor to have servants came there to shop. No rich and noble lady or gentleman would be caught dead so close to the slum.

There was a large crowd at the Market today; fine men in suits gathered for a chat or to hear the latest news, while ladies in pretty dresses bought figurines and perfume and all the things that only the rich could afford. Kai watched them in anger; how could they toss their money away on such junk when so many were starving right under their noses?

He glanced at Lee and felt guilty; the Tiger hated this place with a passion, mostly because he could not give his family any of its luxurious wares. He could not buy Mariah dresses or perfume or other fancy things the way he wanted to; he could hardly feed them all! The boy's ears were hanging, betraying his emotions, but his eyes were fierce. Kai meant to say something encouraging, but suddenly there was a scream and everything turned frantic.

"Thief! Thief!! He stole my purse! Get him!" A shrill woman's voice called out over the crowd.

Kai and Lee spun in the direction of the voice, hope blooming in their chests, but it quickly died again when an unknown boy, about their age, came into view; he had long black hair in a ponytail and rather startling golden eyes. He ran with a small bag of money clutched tight to his chest. He was filthy and dressed in rags, but his face was determined and attractive. Despite his haste he noticed the two equally dirty teens standing frozen in his path and, realising that he would not get away, he tossed the loot at them before disappearing in the throng.

Kai caught the bag and it took him only a second to comprehend the situation. "Run, Lee!" He yelled and the Tiger obeyed immediately, but Kai himself was too slow. Someone grabbed his vest and others his arms and suddenly he found himself held down by three policemen.

The bag lay before him on the pavement. Angry faces stared down on him. An officer with a badge on his chest and an air of soap and arrogance came over and picked it up. He was followed by a pale, blonde woman with a lush, ugly, purple gown and her nose stuck up in the air. She snatched her money from his hands before he could even straighten up. She looked Kai up and down, grimacing as though he was a spot of mud on her new, clean carpet. "I demand that he is punished. We cannot allow such vermin to roam free in our society," she said, still with that shrill, annoying voice.

The cop grunted in approval and turned to Kai, "How old are you, boy?"

Kai glared at him, and did not answer. One of the brutes grabbed his hair and pulled until he was forced to grind out, "Seventeen."

The officer with the badge smiled maliciously, "Then you are just old enough." A stab of fear coursed through Kai, but he kept up his defiant glare.

The officer stood up and called out to the crowd that had gathered. "Tomorrow, under the big slave trade, this boy will get what he deserves! Seventeen whips shall be his punishment for thievery!" He looked back down at Kai and his voice was low and dripping with satisfaction when he added, "One for each miserable year of his life." The smile that split his face sent chills down Kai's spine.

As he searched through the mob, Kai knew that claiming innocence was a waste of time; even the ones who had seen the kid toss Kai the money would not try to help him; to them he was just a rat, and that was crime enough in itself. For a second he spotted Lee in the crowd and their eyes met. Kai shook his head firmly, _'Don't try to save me,'_ he thought and hoped the other boy understood.

That night he was kept in a cell under the police station. It was cold, damp and murky, and very silent, despite the large number of prisoners; the only sounds where the echo of dripping water and the occasional traded sentences between the residents of the cells. After a while, a couple down the hallway began talking about the slave trade that would be the main event the next day. Every Friday there was an open market for buying, selling and trading slaves. Some came here with old, or unruly slaves that they wanted to trade for someone who suited their needs better, while others came to look at the new stock.

The slaves were mostly criminals; thieves would be sold as personal servants to the rich families or as helpers around the house, and murderers and more serious troublemakers were mostly used for doing heavy work in the fields.

"I have seen it many times," one raspy voice from the left began, "the slaves stand on the platform in shackles and those rich bastards walk around and inspect them like cows. They are treated like animals." Kai listened carefully.

Another deep voice spoke up, and it sounded closer than the first one, probably just in the next cell, "Before they are sold, the ones scheduled for it gets punished for their crimes. They begin with the lightest sentence and up go from there. The crowds love watching; they use it as a way to measure the slave's strength." Kai thought about his seventeen lashes and shuddered.

The first voice started again, "Women and children are usually treated better, but what's to stop one of those uniformed bastards from having a little fun while they're on duty? And if you're not sold you'll be sent back down here to wait for the next round."

Questions arose from other cells, but Kai stopped listening. He lay down on the floor and thought that he should have stayed home, _'This is what you get for helping out. Mariah was probably just around the corner to home. Lee worries too much.'_ But he knew that the most likely thing was that the feline had been arrested. _'But then where is she now?'_ The thought came to him suddenly, making him sit up and press his face against the bars. "Mariah? Are you there?" At first it was silent; even the other prisoners were quietly waiting to see if anyone would answer him. Kai could feel his heart drumming against his ribcage as he listened.

"Who is it?" A hesitant voice came back to him.

For some reason the voice made a surge of happiness rise in him, "Mariah! It's Kai!"

The pink haired Tiger's voice came back somewhere from the right, now full of relief, "Kai, what are you doing here? Were you caught too?"

It was a stupid question really, but he did not care, "I was caught when Lee and I went looking for you. Are you ok?" He calmed down somewhat, and the knowledge of her fate presented itself as a lump of worry in his stomach. Lee was the best friend that Kai had ever had, and he knew that the Tiger would be devastated when he found out about Mariah's enslavement.

"I'm fine; I got a bit of a beating, but I can take that." Now she sounded more like the Mariah he knew, confident and proud.

Unexpectedly the door banged open and two guards came in. They were trying to hold on to a frantically struggling teen, and Kai realised with a small shock that it was the same boy who had caused his arrest. The boy's pupils were mere slits in anger, and he clawed and snarled furiously at the cops. Kai had to admit that he was impressed; the boy fought like a wild cat, but in the end he was thrown into the cell opposite Kai's. The boy was up against the bars immediately, growling, but the guards left with a last, "You'll pay tomorrow, you wretched beast."

For a moment the boy's eyes met Kai's, and they glared at each other. Thanks to this idiot, Kai had lost his freedom. They stared each other down until the door banged shut and left the cells in complete darkness once more. Kai lay down on the floor and closed his eyes. He hugged himself against the cold and tried not to think about tomorrow.


	2. The taste of blood

Another Day

Chapter 2

_The taste of blood_

Kai felt like he had hardly slept at all when he was torn awake by a loud racket. A guard was walking down the hallway and banging his club on the bars of the cells to wake the prisoners. "Get up, people. It's your big day."

They were shackled together and led out of the dungeon in a long row. Kai tried to keep track of Mariah, but she was stationed up front while he was pushed to the very back of the line.

After the darkness of the cells the daylight was sharp and blinding. It was extremely hot outside, and it didn't take long before sweat was dripping into Kai's eyes and making his hair stick to his neck. The prisoners walked towards the Amber market in sullen silence. Behind Kai walked the boy with the black ponytail. Kai turned his head and glared at him as best he could, "Thanks a bunch for getting me arrested. I can hardly wait to repay you."

The boy turned those golden orbs on him and Kai had to suppress a shiver; they were like pools of molten sun. "In this world it's every man for himself. I am surprised that you have lasted so long if you have yet to learn that." Kai didn't reply.

There was a much bigger crowd at the market now than it had been the previous day, and many heads turned when the slaves came into view. They were herded up on the platform by guards with whips and clubs. The slave trader, a bald, fat, little man, called the attention of the crowd as soon as the slaves were arranged in rows on the platform. "Good people. Gather here to see some of the finest slaves yet this year. In all shapes and sizes. One of these is sure to be just the one you are looking for. So gather 'round and let us start testing their strength!"

The man at the very right of the front line was released and brought in front of the crowd. There he was pushed down on his knees and bent over a wooden block. He was big and hairy, but looked more like a friendly bear than a dangerous criminal. The slave trader read up his sentence of thirty lashes of the whip, but the crime was not mentioned. The poor man was screaming his innocence, and eventually the guards gagged him.

What proceeded was something that Kai would never forget; the cracks of the whip, the chilling screams, and the blood that ran from angry welts. He felt sick, but couldn't look away. It took forever to get to thirty. The man had fainted a long time ago, but the crowd seemed pleased and many shouted their bids for him.

The slave trader rubbed his fat hands together and his beady eyes shone with greed. "Now, now good folk; the bidding does not start until everyone has been served their punishment, but keep your eyes on the one you want or he might just slip away from you!" He chuckled to himself.

The young Hiwatari felt panic rise in him as more and more men were brought forth to be beaten, whipped and taunted. He snuck a quick glance to the left him and saw that the black haired boy was looking pale and that his eyes were slightly wide.

On the right side of Kai stood a tall, blonde boy who looked to be about twenty years old. He began to cry when they unshackled him, and he shouted for his parents. As he was bent over the block he wetted himself in fear. The crowd booed, but the other slaves shared his pain and fright, and there were many young boys there who missed their families.

Kai's heart went out to the boy as well, but there was nothing he could do to help and when the screams died down it was his turn. The man who wielded the whip came over to him and unlocked the irons around his wrists. Kai shook uncontrollably; warm and cold waves travelled up and down his body. He had never been so afraid in his life. A simple rope was tied around his wrists and he was pulled forward, but then a single, desperate thought made its way to the front of his mind.

'_NO!'_

He pulled hard. The torturer, who had not expected the young teen's strength, stumbled backwards, but he quickly regained his balance and pulled back, sending Kai flying into his arms. A well placed fist to the stomach made Kai topple over and groan in pain. While he regained his breath, someone pulled off his vest, so that his back was bare.

"Get on the block, kid," one of the guards growled, but the sight of the block, and the fresh blood that coated the planks around it, triggered another wave of desperation in Kai; he got up and tried to run. Once again his attempt was made futile by the rope. Someone grabbed it and he was forcefully dragged back in front of the mob and pushed down on the block.

The slave trader frowned at him, but smiled at the crowd, "Well this one is feisty folks, but we'll see if he doesn't calm down after tasting his just punishment."

There was some spread laughter when a guard looped another rope around Kai's neck and fastened it too the block, so that he was completely secured. Kai looked at the crowd. There were sympathetic faces there, and sad faces, but most were just watching.

Then Kai saw, in the very back of the crowd, two familiar faces watching him with worry. Lee and Kevin. He prayed silently that they would not come to the rescue of him or Mariah. It would be futile with all the guards, but he still thought the two of them stupid enough to try; Kevin was way overconfident and Lee's temper was legendary! Unfortunately, Mariah was the precious gem of the family; the male felines would not let her go without a fight. His attention was pulled away from the two when the slave trader read out loud his punishment. He fisted his hands and closed his eyes, waiting for the first strike.

The sickening sound of the leather whip meeting soft, yielding flesh resounded over the crowd. For a second after it was dead silent. Another strike broke the spell and Kai's vision flashed brilliant white. Nothing, not the worst of his nightmares, could ever have prepared him for this pain. Screams of torment were torn from his very core. Again and again the leather whip was driven into his back. Again and again the sound echoed over the crowd, followed by Kai's pained scream. He cried, cried for death and mercy and oblivion, but none came. The tormentor was not going easy on him. Blood was running in forking paths down his sides.

Kai's head spun, and for a second he thought he was falling, until another crack split the air and he came back to earth for another flash of unbearable pain. Darkness closed in on him. This was hell.

'*'

Lee held Kevin tight and closed his eyes against the world, willing it all to go away. This was the worst day of his life; first he had seen Mariah amongst the slaves and now he had to stand helplessly and listen to Kai's horrible screams. He had seen people being whipped before, but somehow the Hiwatari took the meaning of pain to a whole new level; his voice tore through the crowd, cut your ears and resounded in your head. Kevin sank to his knees, and pressed his hands over his ears. "Make them stop!" He begged, but what could Lee do? His heart burned with anger and sorrow, but his head was calm, and knew the futility of interfering in the punishments.

"There is nothing we can do for Kai now. Come on." Together they left the open space and headed for the alleys they called home, Kevin sniffling and wiping tears from his cheeks. But Lee vowed silently to come back and save both Kai and Mariah.


	3. Meet the Daltons

Another Day

Chapter 3

_Meet the Daltons_

Kai hung limply over the wooden block. It was over; an intense relief washed through him at the thought. His back stung like hellfire and he felt dizzy from blood loss, but it didn't matter as long as he would never ever have to endure that again. He opened his eyes reluctantly when he felt someone bend down and untie the ropes holding him. He was shackled back into the line and the black haired boy beside him was untied. Kai's legs were wobbly, but he forced himself to stay upright, his pride slinking back from whatever dark corner it had been hidden in. He searched the crowd with his eyes, but couldn't see the two Tigers anymore. He hoped they had gone home.

The pony-tailed boy did not struggle against the guards. Strangely enough, as he bent down over the block, he turned and gave Kai a look that said 'let me show you how this is done'. The challenging fire in the boy's eyes lit something inside of Kai as well and he glared. He prepared himself for screams and begging, but none came. One lash, two lashes, three lashed and still the boy held silent, even though Kai could see that he struggled more and more with each strike.

He had been sentenced to fifteen whips. At number seven there came a strangled groan, and his head hung limply like he was close to losing his conscious. The slave trader was annoyed that his victim made no more of a show; he nodded to the torturer who swung the leather whip with double force and slammed it down on the boy's back, breaking through his iron will and tearing a scream from his lips. Kai grimaced. When the boy was finally brought back in line, he flashed Kai a tired, but victorious grin, despite the deadly pale of his face. Kai couldn't imagine what he felt he had won.

A couple of eternities later, all the prisoners scheduled to be punished that day had been bent on the block. The blood was washed away, both from the platform and from the backs of the punished men. For being such fine folk, the crowd sure could be savage, but now there was a collective feeling of relief that the bloodshed had passed. The bidding could begin.

The noise-level rose. People went about their business, talking to friends, arguing over prizes with salesmen and looking at the slaves. Kai watched the peacocks prance forth and back between the rows, talking to the trader and now and then asking the slaves a few questions. Everyone could bid on the slaves and by the end of the day the one with the highest bid would take the slave home with him. Names and amounts were written down on scrolls to keep track of them and each slave had a number.

The heat was really getting to the men on front row. All the slaves suffered, but these were the ones who had just had the living daylights beaten out of them and most had no strength left. The women, who stood in the back, had been spared and gotten a sip of water each, but for the men and young boys there were no such comforts. In the beating sun, many would faint and drag the ones beside them down on the hot planks. These were seen to, but otherwise there was no asking mercy from the guards. Kai grimaced as sweat ran down his back and over the bleeding welts; it stung badly. Beside him, the black haired boy sighed in fatigue and wiped sweat from his brow.

The Hiwatari studied the one responsible for getting him up here in the first place. He hadn't thought about it before, but this boy was just like Lee and the Tigers, with fangs and pointed ears. Was that a coincidence?

He was handsome, with soft features and smooth skin, and he held himself with an easy grace that made Kai feel clumsy and crude. His long hair was inky black, and his body was well built, but more slender and elegant than Kai's. He was wearing short pants that showed off his ankles, and his bare chest was tanned and strong.

When he became aware of Kai's scrutiny, he turned his head and met the Hiwatari's gaze evenly. Once again he was caught by those golden eyes, which seemed to see right into his very soul, burning him worse than the sun. And then the knowing, cocky smirk that made Kai want to kick him really badly.

But before words could be exchanged, their attention was caught by a couple who was strolling down the line, arm in arm. A black haired woman, wearing a yellow corset and dress and holding an equally yellow umbrella over her head to ward off the sun, and her husband, who was tall and thin with red hair and an aristocratic look.

'_Whoever told him that matching your wife was in season should be shot__,'_ Kai thought and shuddered at the hideous yellow suit that the man wore. The two stopped now and then to discuss a slave here and another there, talking as if though they were buying a new pet.

They seemed to be on a hunt for young boys, for they paused by several such and when they came to Kai, the woman urged her husband to stop. "You know darling; he is kind of sweet up close," she began, giving Kai the urge to laugh.

The man fished a monocle out of his breast pocket and held it up so that he could study Kai more closely. He leaned in until Kai had to lean back to avoid touching him. These stuck up peacocks were stranger than Grandpa Granger, and he was _strange_. Next to him, the black haired boy snickered.

In the end the man straightened up, put the monocle back and brushed himself off as if though Kai's mere presence was contaminated. "I don't know, my dear, he seems to rough for our boy."

Kai wondered what tasks he would be set to do if they actually bought him for little junior; polish his shoes, hold his toys and change his diapers? He knew perfectly well that the boy in question was probably old enough to do all sorts of things for himself, but thanks to his parents he would grow up to be a wet smack, just like his father before him.

The couple became aware of the black haired boy beside him now and they seemed to forget Kai entirely. They tripped around the feline and discussed him as if he had no ears, "This one is more what we are looking for, right dear? Seems calm...not so rough...a pretty boy." The kid flashed Kai another smirk, and Kai rolled his eyes.

The woman looked very exited, "I think we should bid on this one, Harold; he will fit perfectly for Michael!"

Harold nodded, "What is your name young fellow?"

He gave a small bow and answered, "Rei Kon, sir."

Kai shook his head in disgust; way to suck up! But Mrs. Dalton was only more convinced, "We must get a second opinion; have you seen the trader anywhere, dearest?" But before her husband could answer, another voice broke in.

"Mr. Dalton, Mrs. Dalton, enjoying the fine day, I see."

The new arrival was a man past his prime, but still big and muscular. His brown hair was streaked with grey and caught in a ponytail. Next to his obvious confidence, Mr. Dalton seemed even more pathetic than before.

The stranger took Mrs. Dalton's gloved hand and kissed it. "Ah, Betina, you look as beautiful as ever."

She giggled, "Oh, Oscar, you scoundrel. Why on earth are you here? You couldn't possibly be in need of another servant." She laughed, loudly and not exactly ladylike.

The man grinned and Kai was reminded of a wolf.

The two gentlemen shook hands. "How is the business going, Oscar?" Mr. Dalton asked.

The other man shrugged, "Oh, you know, well enough, well enough. And how is your little charmer coming along? Found him a suiting wife yet?"

_'Oh, so little junior is that old.'_ Kai thought to himself.

Betina put on a dramatically sorrowful face, "Our Michael remains stubborn. He will hardly look at the nice girls I point out to him, and he insists on flirting with every common girl he meets. If he continues like this I am afraid he will end up a bachelor, or worse-."

"Now, now, my duckling, let us not go there," her husband interrupted her hastily. He took a white handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed his brow with it. It reminded Kai of the blistering heat and he cast an annoyed glace up at the sun, who ignored him and shone even brighter.

Oscar looked from one to the other. "Well you know what, Harold? Since you did me that favour with McGregor a while back, I will help you out. You let me have a talk with the boy and he will be ready for marriage in no time. I'll show him that there are benefits to getting a lady to call your own." At that last comment he threw a glance and a smile at Mrs. Dalton, who blushed.

Harold Dalton smiled in relief, "Thank you Ivanov, I really appreciate that."

Kai thought that he and Rei were well and forgotten, but no such luck was theirs today; three pairs of eyes turned on them and he kept his own gaze carefully neutral. Oscar Ivanov gestured to the black haired boy, Rei, "So you were looking at this one, huh?"

Mrs. Dalton nodded, "Yes, and we are really considering buying him. He is just what we are looking for."

Ivanov pretended to be confused, "Are you sure. Isn't he a bit too wild for Michael?"

It was the Daltons' turn to be confused, "He has not been very wild so far."

"But of course, you would not know; I spoke to a guard about him, and it seems he is quite the monster when let loose. He told me that he and his partner had nearly been killed trying to get this one into his cell, and he was badly clawed and bruised, shouldn't have been on duty at all with the damage he had sustained, the poor man."

The couple turned to regard the boy who was growling low in his throat; no doubt remembering his arrest. His fangs were showing, although he didn't seem to be aware of it.

"If this is true then we will have to find another. Such an awful thing can not be let loose in our home. I am afraid we have come for nothing then." Mrs. Dalton seemed to be ready to cry at the loss of her perfect servant.

But Ivanov turned and looked at Kai, "What about this one? He was not half as bad."

The black haired woman told him that they thought Kai too rough for Michael as well. "I believe this boy would be more of a playmate for your Tala, Oscar."

The imposing man seemed to consider it. He looked Kai up and down. "How old are you?"

Once again, Kai did not answer the question; with the heat and the blood loss he felt dizzy and tired and vulnerable, but he was angry as well, and this man did nothing to help.

But Ivanov just laughed, "Indeed, I think Tala would like him." Did nothing get this man down? "Let us get the trader and see what he thinks, shall we?" They called, and the fat, beady eyed salesman came huffing and puffing up along the line.

Kai was once again released from the shackles and tied with the rope. A guard held the other end and he glared threateningly at Kai, as if daring him to pull another stunt and try to escape, but Kai stood silently and obediently while the customers fussed over him. More shoppers had gathered around and the slave trader gave his opinion, "Well, he has got an impressive body for a boy his age. He can't be lazy." Kai rolled his eyes; most of his day was spent running, climbing and fighting brutes twice his size.

"He would do very well in hard labour, prime material this one, and handsome too, but he needs a master who knows how to handle his temper."

Kai growled when the bastard used the word master. Unfortunately that only emphasised his point, but Kai could not stand the idea of being owned; no man had the right to own another.

Ivanov nodded in affirmation, "Well his attitude can always be dealt with; that will not be a problem." He addressed Kai directly then, "I want your name and age boy, and you can put that sneer behind; you will not need it where you are going." He raised an eyebrow at Kai expectantly.

The Hiwatari glanced behind him at the guard with the club; the idiot smiled sadistically and patted his belt where there hung several more weapons, amongst them a short whip. Kai swallowed and turned back to the shoppers. He met Ivanov's gaze with his own and answered, as steadily as his voice would allow, "My name is Kai. I'm seventeen."

"Wise choice, boy. Seventeen is a good age, and that is a strong name you have. Good, good." Kai glared, but he was ignored. The big man turned to the slave trader and said, "He seems fit enough, but I will need to see the rest of him to determine whether he will suffice."

To Kai's fury, the slave trader simply nodded and reached for Kai's belt. How could they treat him like this? How could they treat all the slaves like this? Did they not recognise a fellow human when they saw one? A voice in the back of his head told him that Rei was paying close attention to all that was happening, but why that mattered he did not know.

Ivanov noted the boy's reluctance and his eyes narrowed, "Now Kai; don't start acting a fool again. There is no way around it, so why fight?"

"I will not be made a toy for some stuck up brat, I am not an animal to be bought and sold and I will not bow and scrape for you good-for-nothing peacocks!" He breathed heavily from the outburst, and felt a little better. Rei laughed. Mrs. Dalton was covering her open mouth with one, gloved hand, and Mr. Dalton looked like he had never seen anyone act so rude. Ivanov, however, was not impressed; his bushy eyebrows had lowered dangerously. He nodded at the slave trader who gestured to the guard.

Kai struggled in vain as the big man grabbed his arms and held them securely over his head. Angry, red spots bloomed on the slate haired boy's cheeks as his pants were removed and he was left in his undergarments. Ivanov bent down and ran one hand down the back of Kai's leg, squeezing to see the strength of his muscles. When he rose again he seemed satisfied that Kai measured up to his standards.

As soon as he was released, the Hiwatari pulled his pants back on and glared at the wide man with all his venom.

While he was shackled back in place Ivanov bent close and whispered, "You are obviously a clever boy, but you had better learn to dispose of your pride or you will become even better acquainted with the whip. We'll get some discipline into that stubborn head of yours."

Kai shivered, but answered, "I am not afraid of you."

The man straightened up again, "You will learn to fear me soon enough, boy." Then he left with the slave trader to get his name down on the scroll and to determine a price.

Rei watched the man's retreating back, but then he turned to Kai, "Nice legs."

The slate haired boy growled at him, "Shut up."

Now and then, others would come and look at him, but he wasn't released from his shackles a second time. The sun continued to beat down and Kai's strength drained slowly with the blood that ran down his back.


	4. Sold

Another Day

Chapter 4

_Sold_

Kai opened his eyes and blinked in the blinding sunlight. Someone was holding a glass of water to his lips and he drank greedily. A small girl, dressed in fine but simple clothing, was supporting him, and she didn't let go until he had drained the glass. He realised he must have fainted in the heat.

The girl had curly, blond hair and blue eyes. She looked to be eight years old or so, but she was probably older; she was just very slim and her big eyes gave her a child-like appearance. She smiled at him and helped him back on his feet.

"Poor thing," she began, "left in the sun for so long, and with your injuries. Just wait until Mr. Ivanov takes you home, I am sure he will take good care of you." She wiped his face with a clean, moist cloth as she spoke, and he relished in the cool touch.

When he found his voice again he asked, "Who are you?"

She stepped back and gave a little curtsy, "My name is Adria. I am Mrs. Ivanov's handmaiden. Mr. Ivanov told me to give you some water so that you would be on your feet on the trip home."

Kai growled, but he faltered when he saw the fear on Adria's face; she seemed very sweet, if not a tad naive, and it was the man he had a problem with, not his servant. He decided to get some information while he had the chance, "Are you sure he will buy me?" Those words hurt more than he had thought they would.

She nodded sincerely, "Yes, he has made sure that he will know whenever someone bids on you, so that he can bid higher. He is very bent on taking you in, so you must be special."

Kai felt his stomach turn into a knot as he remembered the man's words to him earlier. "So, what is his son like, whatever his name was?"

Adria clapped her hands together in delight, "Oh, master Tala is wonderful! He is smart and funny and sometimes he gives me flowers or sweets." She got a dreamy look in her eyes.

Kai opened his mouth again, but then he spotted something in the crowd and the words halted on his tongue. Adria turned in puzzlement and tried to find what it was the boy was staring at, but she couldn't see anything else than a lot of fine folk and a beggar boy running from two cops.

She followed the boy with her eyes. He was coming straight towards them! A small scream escaped the girl when the boy leapt for the platform, but he'd miscalculated the height; his foot caught on the planks and he fell, right in front of Kai and Adria. The little girl stood paralyzed in fear.

Kai had no idea what Lee was doing, but when the Tiger fell over, he quickly bent down and helped him back on his feet. Lee was too good to miss a jump like that; he'd stumbled on purpose. "Lee, what the hell are you doing?" he hissed, keeping a firm hold on the teen's arm while looking around to see where the pursuers had gone to. They were coming up the stairs, unable to jump up the way Lee had.

Lee hurried to press a small metallic thing into Kai's palm and whisper, "I hope you know how to pick a lock." Then he was gone, running down the line of prisoners.

Strangely enough, Rei, who had been watching in shock, called out after him, "Wait! Wait!" But the leader of the Tiger's was gone.

Adria looked like a walking question mark, but Kai told her to go thank her employee for the water, and she left with a distracted smile and a wave. Kai looked around, but he couldn't find Mariah. Had Lee tried to help her as well? He looked at the item in his hand; it was a metal pin.

Kai was surprised when Rei grabbed him, "Who was that, who was that?"

The Hiwatari pushed him away, "Calm down! What's your problem?"

The black haired boy looked panicky, "Didn't you see? He had fangs and ears and-and...he was like me! Finally someone like me!"

Now Kai understood the boy's excitement. "There are four of them actually; one girl and three boys."

Rei looked at him with wide eyes, "I have to meet them!"

Kai grinned, "And how do you plan to do that? Pick the lock on the chains and run?" He realised then that that was exactly what Lee had wanted Kai to do. So he got the pin into the lock and started fiddling, ignoring Rei who still had not managed to calm down. A warning whisper alerted Kai that a patrolling guard was coming their way and he hid the pin in his hand. He knew it looked suspicious, but he could not take it back out.

The guard passed without looking at him and Kai took a deep, calming breath, before continuing on the lock. Unfortunately, lock picking was not his strong side and he fiddled more and more desperately with it as the minutes ticked past. He began to sense that his time was nearly up.

A shout from the slave trader announced the end of the bidding. Kai got frantic and with a snap the hair pin broke. He stared in disbelief at the piece jammed into the keyhole and the twin piece in his hand, and realised that not only had his last chance of escape before he was sold gone out the window, but the guards would know that he had tried to run away.

"Well done, you block head. Now we will never be free. Have you never picked a lock before?" Came the annoyed and disbelieving voice of Rei Kon beside him.

"Stuff it!" Kai snapped. He didn't need to be reprimanded right now. He searched his mind for any solution, but nothing came up.

The slave trader stood with a list in his hand and he called up one and one slave to be brought away. This time they began in the back and Kai sharpened his ears in case Mariah was called up. She was, and once again his prayers were not heard as she was brought forth, with sad eyes and hanging ears.

Beside the platform stood a desolate Lee, and when a tall, purple haired boy came up to get her, Lee jumped up on the platform. "Please sir, take me with you," he begged, and Kai's eyes widened in disbelief.

Mariah did not seem to think it a very good idea though, "No, Lee, you have to go home. What about Kevin and Gary? You have to take care of them!"

A couple of guards came and meant to haul Lee away, but he struggled and shouted, "Please, sir, I'll do anything! Let me come with you, I'm begging!"

The boy, who was lean and long legged, looked Lee up and down for a moment. "You are offering yourself as a slave for free?" He looked to his parents, who were equally purple haired, but they gave him no indications. Once again the boy considered Lee and then he nodded, "If you behave, why not?"

Mariah looked even worse for it, but Lee took her hand and with a last glance at Kai, they walked towards their new future. Rei stared at the pink haired girl until she disappeared in the crowd.

More and more names were called and slaves of all kinds were taken away to begin a new life of hard work and no pay. In the end there was only the first line left, where all those who had been punished earlier stood, with their backs straight and their faces grim. Kai's stomach was crowded with butterflies and he was beginning to fade again, so it wasn't always easy to follow what was happening. When it was his turn the guard could not open the lock because of the pin stuck inside it.

The slave trader filled the time with small-talk, "Will you look at that, I don't think I have ever seen a more persistent slave. He is just not going down, is he? Well, I wish his new owners good luck, and hope that they can discipline him." Finally the chains parted and Kai was pushed forward and flanked by the guard. "And the lucky owner of this feisty kid is Mr. Ivanov."

"No," Kai whispered, and as the man came up the stairs he shrank back as far as he could with the guards behind him.

"Why don't you two give the gentleman a hand with the slave, just in case he decides to run again?" The slave trader asked the guards, who took Kai by the arms and led him away.

On the bottom of the stairs stood Adria, and with her was a lady in a grey dress. She was beautiful, with gentle, brown eyes and flaming red hair. She smiled at him, and Kai figured that she would have to be Mrs. Ivanov.

Kai thought they would leave right away, but the slave trader was announcing Rei's verdict, "It's another one for Mr. Ivanov." Kai's eyes widened; Rei was coming too? He glared when the dark haired boy came down the stairs, and was given an equally dark look in return.

Then red haired woman joined arm with Ivanov and together they started for the coach. Adria followed without question, but she did cast a puzzled glance at Kai and Rei, with the two brutes holding them.

Another man came to as well; a grim man with white, sallow skin and a hawk-like nose. He wore a long green coat and glasses. He had to be a servant by the way he stayed behind the others. He caught Kai watching him and their eyes locked. Kai was taken aback by the iron will that met him in those eyes. He looked away quickly.

The party passed Lee and Mariah, who waved at Kai, both looking sad on his behalf. At least they would have each other. It was true that leaving Kevin and Gary behind was cruel, but Lee loved Mariah more than any one else in the world, and Kevin was not such a bad thief, even at his young age.

Then Mariah noticed Rei and her eyes turned wide. She shook Lee and pointed and it seemed to end in a competition of who could look the most shocked out of the three felines, for Rei was staring as well. Mariah reached out for him and took a step forward, but the purple haired teen that had come to get her put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warning look.

They walked towards the north end of the Amber market, away from the slum area, which lay to the south. The couple up front was talking quietly, but once the lady Ivanov turned and smiled at the two slaves, and Kai quickly looked away; his instinct told him that this woman was more than a pretty dress, and he was ashamed that he had to face her in his current state of attire.

They were nearing the carriages. Kai didn't want to talk to the boy beside him, he wished he could be anywhere but in a three mile radius of him, but this might be their last chance at getting back to their homes. If they didn't make a break for it now, they would be taken far away from their home, perhaps too far to ever make it back.

"Rei," He whispered, capturing the black haired boy's attention. "Last chance." A brief nod spoke of understanding. "When I say..."

"NOW!"


	5. Arriving

Another Day

Chapter 5

_Arriving_

It was desperate and it was hopeless, but it was their last chance. The guards where taken aback by the sudden shout and they were definitely not prepared for the vicious attack from their young prisoners. Kai smashed his elbow into the gut of the man behind him and Rei turned and sent his guard to the ground with a body slam. They did not waste their time, but began running immediately, ignoring the shouts from their new owners, who were shocked and angry at their easy escape.

Unfortunately, Kai's timing was a bit off; they were so close to the carriages that the cops that were guarding them could take up the chase, and one of them did.

Rei realised the situation, "Kai, split up!"

The Hiwatari gave no other reply than suddenly changing his direction. The cop came after him. Kai tried to return to the crowded area where the bigger man would be at a disadvantage, but he never got that far. He went down with a surprise yell when his pursuer slammed into him. Kai ignored the pain in his stomach and twisted around, moving frantically to shake the man off. He tried to kick, but the cop used his weight to keep him down. After a brief struggle, the slate haired teen quieted down, realising his defeat.

The cop was young. He had brown hair that stuck out from under his blue cap, blue eyes, which studied Kai with curiosity, and a smooth-skinned face. The man was breathing heavily and was sweating from the race in the sun.

The Hiwatari was used to the faceless, emotionless brutes that hunted the slum rats on their own territory, but this man was very much human. He had to be new on the force. It would explain him being assigned to guarding the carriages; it was easier and lighter work. Kai knew now that this was not a smart cop, but one that had yet to realise what he had been dragged into; he still hunted each thief like there was no others, while the more experienced ones knew that one rat did not do any real difference and they would probably meet again anyway.

The cop got off him and dragged him up, but not with the same roughness that Kai was used to. He was most surprised when the man asked, "Are you ok? Did I hurt you badly?" This one was new, most definitely.

Back at the carriages, Kai saw that Rei had also been brought back, a black eye richer. It was the servant of the Ivanov's, the man with the glasses, that had caught him. Kai didn't know if he should be triumphant or annoyed to see the feline again.

Ivanov looked like he wanted to say something, but he sighed and gave it up, simply turning and walking towards the carriage that was his, a little faster than before. Once there, Kai and Rei were left standing a little forlornly beside one of the big wheels while their new owner helped his wife into her seat. Adria jumped up next and sat beside her mistress.

Ivanov turned to the new slaves and smiled grimly, "Now what shall we do with you? You have already proved that we can't trust you, so you are not sitting in the carriage."

Ivanov pinched his chin in thought, but his wife leaned out of the door and spoke, "Oh, Oscar. They will not hurt us, they only tried to run, and the poor things have been standing in the sun for hours."

"No Sarah, I don't trust them with your safety. They will have to sit on the roof. The ride is not that long, and they will have a fresh breeze besides, so the heat won't kill them."

And with that, Kai and Rei were tied back to back on the roof. Their hands were tied together between them and their legs were tied to the thin metal poles that made a low fence for the packages. Thanks to all the other stuff that was secured there, the two slaves would not bounce around too much, even though the roads where bumpy.

The guards left with a coin each and the party was ready to leave. The man with the glasses had mounted a horse. He was going to ride behind the carriage. Kai sat with his face turned towards their destination, and he saw the coachman, a young man with a mop of blonde hair, jump up and take the reins. He got the horses running in no time, but despite all precautions, it was not very comfortable up on the roof. A particularly large bump made Rei and Kai slam together, and both let out a surprised cry as their stinging back rubbed against each other. Another bump made Rei hit his head on Kai's and that became the last drop for the Hiwatari.

"Can't you sit still, you idiot?" He yelled. Rei retorted angrily that this was just as much Kai's fault, but Kai did not agree, "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have been here at all!"

"Why can't you just accept your own failure, in stead of blaming it on me?"

"What failure? I was doing great until you showed up with your rotten tactics!"

"I told you; it is every man for himself. I refuse to believe that you've never done anything like that before!"

"I would never use such a dirty trick! Some of us actually manage to get by with our skills alone, you know, and what were you stealing money for anyway? What do need money for?"

"To buy food of course, you dimwit! I see, you're one of those who would rather steal food from honest, poor people than risk his neck against those who can afford to lose a purse!"

"You're the one who said it's every man for himself!"

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"Rat!"

"Coward!"

"Suck-up!"

For a moment it was silent, but this was a friendship doomed to be killed before it had even begun. "God, you're such a pain in the ass," said Kai.

"Well you-"

The carriage came to an abrupt halt, and the coachman hopped off. Kai watched in confusion as he walked over to the door of the coach. Were they there already? As he looked around, Kai saw that they had in fact reached pretty far into the finer districts. Here lay big houses with high fences and inside he could glimpse lush gardens. Then voices from below stole his attention.

"Sir, I am sorry to bother you, but the slaves are making the worst racket, and if I have to listen to more of their quarrelling then I might just crash this carriage. Even the horses dislike it!"

A tiny 'ops' came from beside Kai. The slaves watched as Ivanov himself came out.

He nodded at the coachman, "You did right Enrique; we could hear their yelling through the roof as well."

Then he turned and regarded them, "I would simply gag you both, but I have a feeling that would not stop you. One of you will have to sit in the coachman's seat until we arrive. And if I hear any more of your arguing then I will make the both of you run behind the carriage."

Ivanov turned to the man on the horse and gestured to Kai, "Get him down from there and place him at the coachman's seat, but make sure to tie him up properly."

So Kai was secured to the bench. From this position, he got a good look at the driver for the first time. The kid wore green pants, suspenders, a white shirt, boots and a green cap.

He took one look at Kai, snorted, and burst out laughing. Kai let him laugh, but he wished he had his hands free so that he could strangle the idiot. The kid knew how to handle horses though, for he had the carriage moving again I a jiffy, still chuckling to himself. Kai knew that he looked stupid with his hands tied to a projection beside him, trying to keep his dignity and failing miserably, but the boy had this really annoying laugh which remained stuck in your head long after he had closed his oversized gob.

After a while, the blonde turned to Kai again, "I'm sorry about that; I guess I ruined your first impression of me, but then again; my first impression of you is not the best either. I'll make it up to you on my part though; I'm Enrique, nice to meet you." He held out a hand, pretending not to remember Kai's situation, and then he started laughing again. Kai growled in anger, but said nothing.

When Enrique finally got himself back under control he kept on talking, "I am stable boy and coachman at the Ivanov mansion. It's hard work, but I love horses so it's also fun. So who are you and why did you have to be tied up, up there?"

Kai contemplated just ignoring the older boy, but the happy innocence in the young man made Kai answer, for he did not wish put a damper on that spirit, no matter how annoying it was, "I'm Kai. You might say I'm one of the newest additions to the family pets."

Enrique laughed and slapped his shoulder jovially, which hurt like hell, but Kai only winced.

"You have humour; I like that, but you haven't told me why they treated you so roughly. I have rarely seen any new slave been treated like that before, and here comes two of you!"

Kai looked out on the landscape flying by and realised fully what this meant; he was never going home again and he would never be free again. "I had a life you know, sure I wasn't rich, or clean, or respected, but I was free and had friends that cared about me. And then some idiot," he cast a glance up at Rei, who was still tied to the roof, "comes along and gets me arrested. Then the cops decide that I should be sold like an animal on the market. They beat me for something I did not do, they humiliate me and tie me up, and then they expect me to be a nice and obedient little slave. That is why I am bound; because I fought for my freedom and my rights."

Enrique wasn't smiling anymore. He placed a hand on Kai's shoulder again, "I know it feels really bad the first day; out of all the slaves that have come to the Ivanov mansion only a very few were grateful or happy to be there right away, but this new life you're going to...it ain't bad, and you'll make new friends, I know you will."

Kai didn't answer; he closed his eyes and longed for the alleys, for the hidden passages that only he knew and the freedom to be where he wanted, when he wanted and with whomever he wanted.

A little while later, the coach stopped, and when Kai opened his eyes he could not help but stare; in front of him was the biggest house he had ever seen! It was white, with three floors and windows everywhere. And around him there was green grass and flowers, divided by pebbled paths. They'd come through a large gate with thin, wrought iron bars. All around the property there was a tall brick wall. It was covered in vines several places, but the plants did not look thick enough to climb.

The family came out of the carriage and Kai watched as Mrs. Ivanov spoke to Adria, "Why don't you go get Judy for me, and tell her that we have a lot of work to do." Then she glanced at Kai, who blushed and quickly looked away. "And ask her to get a bath ready for our newest staff members, but not too hot; we must be careful with their backs." The girl nodded eagerly and ran to carry out her orders.

Kai looked up when he heard Enrique's soft laugh behind him. The blonde smiled fondly, "Adria was only a toddler when her parents died. Lady Sarah took her in and raised her like her own daughter. Afterwards the girl has been with her everywhere, and she is always happy to please. There is no end to the heart of Lady Sarah, or to Adria's sweetness."

Then he jumped down and walked around the horses, "Well, we had better get you down from there, but you have to promise me not to run, or they'll have my hide."

Kai did not promise, but he said, "I can't scale that wall anyway. I have to wait for a better opportunity." Enrique laughed; he probably thought it was a joke.


	6. A whole new world

Another Day

Chapter 6

_A whole new world  
_

Kai rubbed his sore wrists and jumped up and down to get his feet awake. Then he watched as Enrique helped Rei down from the carriage roof. As soon as the black haired boy was loose he swung his legs over the fence and jumped of the carriage. His landing was a little crocked though; one of his feet gave away a little and Rei winced in pain. Kai wondered what was wrong.

The black haired teen was escorted over to where Kai stood and they greeted each other with familiar glares, but before they could restart their argument, Kai noticed Ivanov coming towards them with the bespectacled servant behind him.

The master of the house spoke up as he neared them, "I hope Kai gave you no trouble on the journey, Enrique."

The blonde took a pause from unsaddling the horses and smiled, "Oh, he behaved like a dream, sir; no problems there."

Ivanov turned to Kai and Rei, "I am glad to see you two have taken to your wits again. Let us hope you stay that way. I do not enjoy harming anyone, but you are my property now and I will punish you if I must. Now, this is Boris," he gestured to the man next to him, "He is the supervisor of the staff, and will show you around. I will see you later to inform you of your place and to introduce you," he pointed at Kai, "to your master; my son, Tala."

With that the big man escorted his wife into the house, and Enrique went to put the tired horses in the stable. Kai was left alone with Boris and Rei.

Boris looked both slaves up and down a few times. The blue haired teen did not let any emotions other than defiance show on his face. To his surprise, Boris reached out and made to touch his cheek. Kai pulled away, but Boris did not pursue him. Instead he said, "Interesting markings...where did you get them?"

Kai had to stop himself from touching the black triangles. "It's none of your business," he retorted.

Boris smiled unpleasantly, "Now that is where you are wrong, young Kai; everything going on in the Ivanov mansion is my business. That would be one of the rules both of you should strive to remember."

He did not wait, but began walking in the direction of the house immediately. Kai and Rei had to jog to keep up with him. They turned a corner and passed the stables. Boris began his lecture without casting as much as a glance to see if the two boys were following him. "Outside are the garden, the stable and the bird cage. You can come and go as you want, but don't upset the animals and don't step on the flowers."

They passed a huge cage with fine-meshed netting. Inside there were many sorts of birds, from actual peacocks to white doves and parrots. They sat on sticks in the walls, hopped around on the ground and clung to the netting. There was an infernal racket as all the birds chattered at the same time. Yet, even with the feathers that covered everything, it was a rather impressing sight, especially for Kai who had only seen a few of the species before.

Boris stopped for a moment and muttered, "Steve has to clean that cage soon..."

They walked around the house until they came to a back door. On the way they met a few people who studied the new slaves curiously, but they never stopped to greet anyone. The back door was plain and simple compared to the grand, double doors that marked the main entrance.

"This is where we go in and out. You must never use the main doors unless in great need or in company of the family. This one leads directly into the kitchen." Boris opened the door and pushed them in. The boys were met with a cloud of steam and a wave of heat. The kitchen was a blur of activity; the master had returned and he was hungry. No one stopped to ask Boris who the new teens were. It was clear who was the boss in here; a fat woman with her hair in a bun and a very clean apron was shouting orders and stirring five or six pots at the time. Around her ran two children; a boy and a girl.

Kai stood in awe and watched all the different food being prepared. His stomach growled loudly, but he stayed well away from the plates set ready to carry upstairs to the dining hall. Rei was not half as shy though; he reached out but was effectively stopped when the cook smacked his fingers. Rei yelped in surprise and pain.

"No touching!" The cook scolded and shook her ladle at him. Kai laughed. The pony-tailed boy stuck his tongue out at Kai. Then Boris was behind them and pushing them through the kitchen and up a stair.

They came into a hall with a long, colourful carpet on the floor, and white walls. There were brown doors on both sides and Boris knocked on one. It was opened by a tall, dark-skinned boy with white clothes. He nodded politely to Boris and smiled friendly-like at Kai and Rei, "What can I do for you sirs?"

Boris did not waste his time on pleasantries, he simply pushed the two boys forward, "Give these two a bath and find them some clothes; they can't walk around without a shirt in the house, there are ladies here."

Then he looked warningly at the two slaves, "I have seen and heard only negative things from you two so far, and if you don't behave yourself I will make life very painful for the both of you. So no quarrelling." He turned to leave, but then he added, "Oh, and Eddie? Judy will be along to pick up the boys later." Eddie nodded.

This room was more the size that Kai was used to. It had tiles on the floor and on the walls, and in the middle there was a tub filled with water. There were also some shelves with bottles and sponges. Steam rose from the tub and curled lazily in the air. Eddie walked over and put a hand in the water, "It's a little hot. We'd better add some cold water so we don't damage your backs and all. Poor things; whatever did you have to do to deserve that mess?" Kai realised that this was the third time today that someone has called him 'poor thing'.

Cold water was poured into the tub, and when Eddie thought it enough, he gestured to Kai, "Why don't you go first?"

Rei sat down on a three-legged stool to wait for his turn.

Eddie studied the blue haired boy, who was slowly undressing in a corner. His back was a maze of angry, red scars, some still bleeding. Eddie was a slave himself, but he had settled into his new life and accepted that he would never be free again. He had been lucky; he had a good home, a good master and his friend by his side, but he could still remember the first days, and how he had felt like the world was ending, like he was walking into a cage, never to run free again. And he saw the same feeling burning in the eyes of this new boy. It hurt to look.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Kai cleared his throat loudly. The teen was still in his undergarments and he had one eyebrow raised in question. Eddie waited, but nothing happened. "The water is not poisoned so you don't have to be afraid," he said, not knowing what was wrong with the teen.

Kai just looked at him as if though he was very stupid, "And you are planning to leave, right?"

To Kai's surprise, the man laughed. "Oh, I keep forgetting that you new ones are never used to getting help in the bath." He kept on laughing without noticing Kai's doubt-filled stare.

Then he calmed down a bit and explained, "The fine folk often have a servant who helps them in the bath. The Lady of the house has a maid of course, and the master has a boy, in this case; me. We stand ready if they should need a towel or the soap or if they want their backs scrubbed. I know it sounds weird, but you get used to it. And after a while it is not really that embarrassing. If you want you can wash yourself of course, but this one time I think I should stay; you can't clean your back properly on your own, and if what I have heard is true, then you two need someone to keep you from killing each other, but don't worry; I won't peek at you."

So Kai ended up in the tub, with Eddie whistling as he tidied the shelves. Kai relished in the feeling of getting clean and in the nice, warm water, even though he felt very uncomfortable with Rei watching him.

"So, how were you two caught?" Eddie asked after a while. He studied the two slaves expectantly.

Rei opened his mouth but Kai beat him to it and answered, "He stole a sack of money and blamed it on me." He tossed his head in Rei's general direction, who shrugged guiltily at Eddie. Kai sighed, "Not that the mob cared who was really guilty."

Eddie nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, it's a though life out there. Not like this place; nothing ever happens here. I was captured for breaking into a shop. Me and Steve, he works here too, we waited 'til the shopkeeper had gone home and tried to get into the shop, but we were caught, and sold the next Friday. The cops thought us pretty stupid, and I guess we should have thought our plan over a bit, but you know what hunger can do to a man."

Kai snorted; he knew.

Rei spoke next, filling Kai in on what had happened after their first encounter at the market, "A couple of hours later, one of the cops recognised me and started chasing me into the alleys. I reached a dead end, scaled the wall, stumbled at the top and fell down on the other side, twisting my ankle. I couldn't run; so I was caught and arrested."

Once again, Eddie was nodding thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should take a look at your ankle, then, if you are injured?"

Rei shrugged again and Eddie brought a small white suitcase with medical supplies down from a shelf. He checked Rei's ankle while Kai finished in the bath. The blue haired teen wondered why he had not seen Rei's injured ankle before, but then he realised that Rei must have landed on it when he jumped off the carriage. The black haired boy had certainly not let much pain show, and Kai had to admit, though grudgingly, that the boy was strong.

They changed the water once, and then it was time to clean his back. Kai sat on his knees in the tub, clutching the edge and waiting. His wounds were already stinging from the touch with the previous water, which had been rather soapy in the end with all the rinsing, and he was not looking forward to this.

"Now just relax; I'll be very careful and I will not use soap." Eddie calmed him, before putting one hand one his shoulder to keep him steady. Despite Eddie's words, Kai was tense; he was not used to being touched like this. The brown boy soaked a sponge in water and slid it carefully over Kai's back. He squeezed it so that the clean water would run down and take away some of the dirt and blood. There was a lot of dried blood around the edges of the welts which he removed gently. Then he kept on washing and rinsing with clean water until all the dirt was removed.

Kai was surprised at the tenderness which Eddie showed him. The teen had never had such kind, intimate contact with another person before, and this felt special; so innocent. For a moment he caught Rei looking at him strangely and his cheeks heated up. He felt oddly vulnerable like this, as if the Eddie's gentleness was laying him open and exposed for Rei to see. He hurried to look away. Rei's golden orbs were too intense; he couldn't face them.

Still he slowly relaxed under the careful ministrations and leaned his head on his arms on the tub's rim. But as he let himself float away, something inside him responded; like a butterfly that had suddenly found a spot of light and decided to reside in it. A memory of a long time ago came to him; arms embracing him, a mild voice that spoke to him, water being poured, handful by handful over his body, laughter, warmth, happiness.

"Oh," and he knew who and he knew where and he was bleeding, bleeding, but not on the outside.

"That's enough!" Eddie was surprised when Kai turned around and pushed his hands away. "I'm clean now. Thank you for your help." Kai grabbed the tub's edge again, as his hands were shaking, and he could not let Rei see him so upset. He wanted to cry and hoped that it was not showing in his eyes; it had been fifteen years since the last time he had shed tears, and he still denied himself the weakness.

Eddie did not understand what was wrong, the blue haired teen had seemed content enough, but now something had upset him. He was puzzled but felt that it was not his business so he rose and grabbed a towel, holding it up so that Kai could get out of the tub. "Why don't you get dry and wait while I help Rei, and then I'll find you both some clothes?" Kai nodded and wrapped himself in the large towel. Rei began to undress while Eddie changed the water once again. Kai dried himself and sat down on the stool that Rei had been occupying. He watched as the feline undressed and felt heat rising in him again.

He stared as the boy's body was fully revealed, and the painful memory became quite secondary in the light of this beauty. Rei unbound his ankle-long hair and sank into the tub. Kai shook himself out of the trance. He hurried to look somewhere else and caught Eddie watching him knowingly. Kai scowled and adjusted the towel. When it was time for Rei's back, the feline adopted the same position that Kai had used, but he met the other boy's eyes confidently and even winked at him suggestively! Kai was glad when it was over and he could get dressed again.

Judy came around just as the boys finished putting on their new clothes. Kai was wearing grey, baggy pants and a red tunic. His wounds had also been bandaged as not to spoil the cloth and to keep the scars from reopening. The black triangles had been washed from his cheeks, but he'd find a way to reapply them soon. Rei wore a similar attire to Kai's; blue pants and a white tunic. His hair had been combed and braided.

Judy was the second supervisor of the staff, together with Boris. She was blonde and wore a short, plain, green dress. She spoke gently and kindly, and told them that she would be showing them the rest of the house. "Afterwards, Kai will be going to Mr. Ivanov's office to meet the young master, whom you will be serving, and you, Rei, will follow me to meet little Danielle; your mistress."

Rei nodded, but Kai sighed; he did not want to meet this Tala, even though he had heard nothing but good things about him so far.

"The ground level consists of the kitchen and parts of the servant's quarters, which have been spread over two floors. Down here is where most of the servants sleep, bathe, eat and spend their free time. There is also the entrance hall, of course, plus the dining room and the ballroom." Judy explained as they walked.

Later they came to the ballroom and Kai couldn't help but stare at the gilded chairs, the polished floor, the large windows with long curtains and the chandeliers hanging in the ceiling. It was the biggest room he had ever seen. Rei also seemed impressed, at first, but he soon yawned and asked Judy if they could move on. Judy chuckled, and asked Kai if he was coming.

"Yeah...yeah." Kai turned and managed to tear his eyes from the splendour.

"Get your tailbone into gear, lazyass." Came Rei's voice from high up the stairs to the second floor.

"I'm not the one with a tail, you hairy troll!" Kai replied and ran to catch up with them.

"The second floor is where the family lives." Judy showed them two large doors and explained that that was the children's bedrooms. "Master Tala's is the one on the left and his little sister Danielle has hers on the right. Down the hall there you can see the door to their parent's private quarters. You must never go inside there unless asked by them specifically. Only I, Boris and Adria are allowed in without asking permission. Then there are our rooms; me and Adria's, you two's and Boris'. We sleep up here so that we can be within reach the second our masters call. We can take a look at your bedroom later. Around that corner lie the guest rooms."

They walked up another spiralling staircase and came to a new corridor with doors on either side. This floor was different though; for where the first two had been coloured white and crème, this floor was dark and had a red wall-to-wall carpet.

"This is the third floor. Here you can find everything that is not placed anywhere else." She smiled. "There is the attic, and the music room with the piano, Mr. Ivanov's study, where he works, and the Lady's private room for her paintings, the library and a playroom for the children. You must not come up here unless you are on duty. Your free time should be spent outside or in the kitchen, and try to keep out of sight when there are guests around."

She stood for a moment in silence, and, when there did not come up anything new to explain, she turned to the two boys, "I guess it is time to meet your masters now. Mr. Ivanov is waiting in his study for you, Kai. Afterwards you can rest a bit in your room; I am sure you are tired after the long journey. Rei, if you will come with me I will introduce you to Lady Danielle." She showed Kai the door and walked away, her steps fading as she disappeared down the stairs. Rei gave him a last grin and ran after her, his nearly soundless footsteps fading with her louder ones.

Kai was left standing sullenly in front of the big, double, oak doors. Somehow he felt as if this was the final step, and if he took it he would never ever be able to go back. He looked down the hall and wondered if he should try to run. Unless he met Boris, there would not be any hindrances, apart from the wall of course, but the idea of trying to scale the brick fence was much more attractive than knocking on the door that loomed above him. His hands were shaking.

He sighed in defeat and knew with himself that he would not be able to run, not yet; not after the kindness that Eddie and Judy had showed him. He felt like he would betray them if he ran now. _'I hope you are ready for me, Tala, because even if I will not try to run at every opportunity, I will not be your obedient little slave.'_ He raised a hand, and knocked three times.

"Come in." The familiar voice of Oscar Ivanov floated out from the other side of the wall.

The simple act of pushing down the handle seemed like the most difficult thing that Kai had ever done, yet he found the door surprisingly easy to open, compared to the heavy look of it. He stood for a moment, still holding the handle and simply taking in the look of the room. It was large, and dominated by dark colours. There were bookshelves lining the wall opposite the door and a dark carpet on the floor. Two tall windows shed light upon the room from the left wall and in front of them stood a desk filled with papers.

Ivanov sat behind the desk, busily writing. In the end he looked up and raised an eyebrow at Kai, "Well don't just stand there, boy; come in!" Kai hurried to enter and close the door behind him.

A snicker made him turn towards the right side of the room. A set of chairs and a low table stood in the shadows and in one of the chairs a boy was sprawled, one leg over the arm rest. In many ways he resembled Ivanov, with his confidence and strength, but his red hair and delicate features were Lady Sarah's, and Kai had no doubts that this was Tala; his new owner. His ice blue eyes that shone with confidence and amusement, but also with danger.

He got out of the chair and walked around Kai, studying him. He was naturally handsome, Kai had to admit, and he walked like one who had never tripped in his entire life. All the while there was a lazy sort of boredom to him, as if he had a million things he would rather be doing, but had, most kindly, lowered himself into giving Kai a minute of his precious time. Kai stood very still but followed the boy with eyes that were narrowed in anger.

Seemingly satisfied, Tala stepped up the desk and leaned on it, facing Kai, but addressing his father, "So this is my new cur."

Kai's temper flared, but he did not move.

"Now, Tala, I expect you to train him, and rid him of his rebellious attitude. He is yours to command, but I will keep an eye on you both to see how you are doing. If he gives you trouble you can talk to Boris, but I want you to attend every punishment to show him that you care."

Tala just smiled at his father's lecture, and Kai realised that the wolfishness had to run the family.

The boy walked up to Kai. He stood in front of him with his hands on his back and instructed him calmly. "My name is Tala. I am your new master, and that is how you will address me. I have heard a lot of negative things about, but I am confident that you will learn to accept your position in our house, and you and I might even become friends. You are, in fact, a sort of birthday present; I turned 18 a few weeks ago, and my father thought it fitting that I got my own personal servant. I require you to show the outmost respect to my family, not just me. You will address my mother and sister as Lady Sarah and Lady Danielle, and my father is Mr. Ivanov. You can walk as you please outside and in the servants quarters, but you will stay out of our rooms unless on duty. Whenever I call you, you must come immediately. You obey me first, then my father and mother." He snickered, "You are free to ignore my sister though."

Kai felt like a soldier on inspection and had a ridicules urge to straighten his back. Tala looked at him seriously, "We have different attitudes towards slaves here in the house, as you will soon realise. I will not punish you unless I find it necessary to gain your attention. I do, however, expect you to be obedient without question."

He studied the defiant boy for a second, and then he smiled, "Kneel."

Kai did not move.

Tala raised an eyebrow, and repeated the command, "Kneel."

Still Kai remained standing.

Tala did not seem to be getting angry though; he turned to his father and said, "I suppose you were right about him, but don't worry; I know how to handle untrained curs."

Kai cried out in pain when Tala spun around and slapped him hard. He staggered backwards and stared shocked at the redhead, who was looking smug.

"I will only ask you once more. Kneel."

Kai had not quite settled his spinning head, but he sank slowly to his knees.

Tala walked over and patted his head, "Good boy, Kai. We'll get along just fine." Then he left the room.

~*~*~*~

Rei followed Judy back down to the second floor. They stopped in front of Danielle's bedroom door. The slave wondered what his new mistress was like. He hadn't heard much at all, really, so both her age and her personality was a complete mystery to him.

Judy knocked and a clear woman's voice responded from inside. Judy opened the door and led Rei through.

He looked around. Directly to his right stood a double bed with pink covers. On the bed sat a young girl with brown hair to her shoulders. She was wearing a white dress with blue bonds and in her hands was an open book. She looked up from her reading to study Rei sceptically.

The woman's voice belonged to the mistress of the house. Lady Sarah Ivanov sat on a chair, which accompanied a dresser with drawers and a mirror on top. The woman rose when they entered. "Rei. You have come to meet Danielle, then."

He bowed to her, as he felt he should. Before anything else could be said, however, the girl had hopped off the bed and walked up to him. "Are you human?" She asked.

Rei was taken aback by the weird question, and could only nod.

Danielle looked him up and down. He noticed how she lingered on his eyes and ears. "Are you sure? I've never seen a human with pointed ears before. And only cats have yellow eyes."

Rei smiled, "Well. Since you are so smart I will tell you a secret." He sat down and motioned for her to come closer. Intrigued, she bent forward.

Rei put a hand to her ear and whispered, still loud enough for the other women to hear, "I'm part tiger."

The brunet drew back, her mouth hanging open. "You're lying! It's impossible."

He shook his head, "It's true."

The girl looked at him again, considering his words. Then she turned to her mother abruptly and said, "I'll keep him."

Rei smiled. This job was going to be easy.

~*~*~*~

That night, Kai lay in a real bed with clean sheets, instead of filthy rags, but despite his fatigue, sleep was hard to find. He could not get Tala's voice out of his head, saying his name like it was something hardly worth a place on his tongue.

Rei was sleeping in a bed on the other side of the room, but it was so close that Kai could have walked from one bed to the other without touching the floor, if he stretched his legs a bit that was. The black haired boy was lightly purring with each breath. There was something innocent and sweet over the feline as he lay curled on the side in his white nightclothes. Kai fought down the urge to reach out and touch the other boy.

He could hear Boris' snoring through one door and Judy and Adria were sleeping in a room just beyond another door, but somehow none of that was comforting. When he closed his eyes he could see the crowd and feel the shadow of the whip wielder above him. In the end, though, exhaustion dragged him into a restless sleep.


	7. Introductions

Another Day

Chapter 7

_Introductions_

Judy woke him up the next morning. "Wake up, Kai, it is a new day and we must be up in case we are called for. You never know when the masters will be wanting their breakfast. It is our job to carry it up to their rooms, and to help them get ready for their day."

Kai blinked sleepily at her, but crawled out from underneath the warm blanket and began to dress. Rei was already on his feet, although he too yawned and looked like he would much rather curl back up and go to sleep.

Judy showed them two bells on the wall, tied to strings that disappeared into holes in the wall, and told them that these were connected to Tala and Danielle's bedrooms. The two of them could at any time pull on their end of the string to activate one of the bells and alert their servant that there was something they wanted. As if on cue, the bell to the left began to ring. "Oh, looks like you have some work to do, Kai. You had better get going." She urged him on his way.

Once in the hallway, Kai paused outside the door that led to Tala's rooms, once again contemplating the benefits and drawbacks of ignoring orders, but in the end, cursing himself for his cowardliness, put a hand on the handle and pushed the door open; if nothing else, he was not about to be polite and knock first.

Tala was propped up in his bed with a book in his lap. He had a four poster bed with silk covers and lots of big pillows. The rest of the room was small, but Kai could see several more rooms through an open door in the opposite wall. It was tidy, which said something about the young resident's personality. There was a tall bookshelf and a dresser, but not much else crowding the room, so Kai guessed that this was not the room Tala usually spent his time in.

A large, shaggy, grey dog lay by the foot of the bed, and it raised its head and studied Kai for a moment, before returning to its nap. Kai didn't like dogs; in the slum dogs meant cops. They showed up in his nightmares sometimes, snapping at his heels and barking in his ears, and he would see their shadows everywhere. Luckily, this dog did not seem interested in chasing him, but Kai was not about to go over and pet it anytime soon.

After a while he raised an eyebrow at the boy on the bed, who was not showing any sign of being about to acknowledge the slave's presence or to stop reading. He turned a page and kept on his intellectual activity, and with the small smile gracing his lips, Kai knew that he was simply being toyed with. It was also a taunt to the fact that Kai could not read, as he had never needed to and had had no one to teach him. Kai cleared his throat once and then again when there was no response. Finally, Tala picked up a bookmark from the bedside table and placed it carefully on the page, before closing the book and putting it on the aforementioned table. Then he got out of the bed, on the opposite side of where Kai was still standing, and started walking towards the open door on the other side of the room.

Kai cleared his throat again, and this time Tala turned, looking at him for the first time that day, "Having problems with your throat, Kai?" Once again he said Kai's name with a little added insult. Kai didn't answer as he was busy trying not to look at Tala's long, white legs which were showing quite well under the short, crème-coloured robe he was wearing. The redhead did not wait for an answer though, "Come along."

Kai followed his master, taking a large turn around the dog, through a couple of rooms until they came to a bath, and a rather grand one at that. A big tub was built into the middle of the peach-coloured floor. Three mirrors hung over a white sink, and clean towels hung on a handle. Tala gestured for Kai to remain where he was and walked over to a door on the right wall. He knocked and opened it partially, "Danielle, are you dressed?"

A girl's voice answered him from the other end, "Not yet, dear brother, but you may go ahead and use the bathroom first." Kai could not see anything of the other room, but by her voice the girl sounded young and not a tad arrogant. Tala closed the door and shook his head, like a big brother who knew his sister's behaviour.

Tala opened his robe and let it drop to the floor. Kai's eyes widened in surprise; the young man had been naked beneath it! Kai's temperature skyrocketed. He had known all his life that he was gay, but had never met anyone that he had wanted to get close to. Now, it seemed he wouldn't have a choice. Luckily, Tala was standing with his back to Kai, but the sight of his slender limbs and smooth skin made the slave nervous anyway. "Um, sir, what did you need me for again?" Kai said, his voice a couple of notches higher than usual. He even forgot his impoliteness in his haste to get the heck out.

Tala laughed at the blue haired boy's obvious distress, "Hasn't Eddie explained the bath-rules in this family to you?"

Kai swallowed as he remembered Eddie's teaching, "But, but you can't mean that I am supposed to do that?" Tala laughed again, and Kai realised that that was just what he expected.

"Don't worry; it's not like I am making you come into the bath with me." But then he turned and walked up to Kai, who backed away until his back hit the wall. The redhead smiled suggestively, completely unabashed, "That is, unless you want to." Kai shook his head forcefully, his eyes wide as saucers. Tala shrugged and walked over to the tub. He sat down on the edge, and pointed to a low stool, that was stacked under a shelf of colourful soaps, "Why don't you sit over there then, and I will tell you if I need anything."

The tub was filled with water and Tala sank into it, sighing as the warmth seeped into his bones. He watched his slave from the corner of his eyes, and smiled to himself; the boy had his weaknesses, and his charms. The stubbornness would disappear in time; once he realised that this was a fight he could not win. The redhead grabbed a sponge and began to clean himself, putting on a bit of a show, simply for the pleasure of embarrassing Kai some more.

Kai studied Tala in the bath. Now that he had calmed down a bit, he could scold himself for overreacting like that, and for the second time as well; it was not as if he had never seen another boy naked before. He promised himself not to let the redhead's advances get to him, and to never ever panic like that again; he had made a complete fool of himself and given Tala an edge against him, he would have to even the score somehow. This was the second time he was caught up in an embarrassing bath-scene. What did the element of water have against him anyway?

It took quite a long time before Kai was needed. He was getting beyond bored when Tala finally called for him. "Scrub my back," came the simple request. Kai gritted his teeth, but grabbed a sponge. Then a little devil of an idea came to him, and he hurried over to the sink. Tala, who was sitting with his back to the mirrors, would probably have been rather scared if he had seen the evil smirk on Kai's face, but as it was he had no warning as to the sudden feeling of an ice cold sponge being rubbed on his back. He cried out in the girlish way that most do when assaulted with cold water, and spun around.

Kai was smiling in fake pleasantness. "Oh, I am sorry; was that too cold?" And with that he squeezed the sponge over his master's head, so that he was showered in ice cold water. The second high-pitched scream, and the complete shock on Tala's face was simply too much and Kai burst out laughing.

"Why you...you!" The redhead began to climb out of the tub, murder written all over his face, so Kai ran for it, out the bathroom and Tala's quarters, until he could shut the main door behind him and sink to the ground, clutching his sides and laughing.

Some time later, Kai came down the stairs to the kitchen. It was quieter there now, as breakfast had been served and the family was eating. The cook was sitting in a chair when Kai came in, but when she saw him she came over, "Hello there. You must be one of the new kids. I'm Tylia, and I am in charge of the kitchen." Kai nodded politely. "You must be hungry," the woman continued, "you are all skin an bones, lad, but don't you worry; when the masters are done eating, the leftovers will be for us, and it is usually quite a lot of food left so we are well fed. I am sure the others will be here any second so I had better start readying the table. I tell you there is never a moment of peace to be found." She laughed good-naturedly.

She didn't leave much room for replies of any kind, but she was friendly enough. She started taking plates down from a closet high on the wall, but then she turned and realised that Kai was still standing on the same spot, looking around on the benches and the shelves and the closets full of tools and food. "Hey, boy, what is your name?"

"I'm Kai."

"Well, Kai, why don't you help me set the table?" He agreed and grabbed a stack of plates, placing them on the long narrow table that stood a little away from the stove and the sink. The tablecloth was green and white, and the chairs and table were of cherry wood. Kai marvelled at the beauty of it, simple as it all was; he wasn't used to chairs and tables and beds, or of such bright colours, or even of the cleanliness of it all. He had to admit, the level of comfort this life provided him with was much greater than that of his previous life. He proceeded to provide every plate with a knife and fork, placing them in positions that Tylia showed him. Together they managed to get everything ready in good time, and a little while later the kitchen was filled with people. The food was brought down, and soon almost the all the staff of the Ivanov mansion was gathered around one table.

Kai was ushered into a seat by Tylia. He ended up between Rei and Enrique. The blonde had searched him out and deliberately sat down beside him, while Rei, after nearly being crushed in a welcome hug by Tylia, had been placed beside him by the motherly cook. The feline had come down the stairs with Eddie, and Kai had overheard the black haired boy complaining that if he had to help Danielle button up one more dress then his fingers would fall off.

Even though no one had shown any negative feelings towards him so far, Kai felt like an intruder; everyone knew each other and they were chatting about the day's upcoming events as they ate, while Kai was not much of a social person and didn't really know what to say to get close to people. He hated to admit it, but Rei's presence was comforting, as it meant that Kai was not the only one new, but even this pleasure was dampened as Rei seemed to know most of the staff already and he spoke and joked with them as he ate. He was quite the opposite if Kai; outgoing and confident.

The slate haired boy ate silently, listening to the others and thinking the previous day through. It seemed like it had been forever since he was brought up on the platform and the worst day of his life officially begun. He was also busy looking at all the food; he had never had the possibility of eating so much before, and all the different tastes were exciting.

When the meal was finished, and while Tylia, and the children that Kai had seen helping her before, cleared the table, Judy rose and called the attention of the fourteen individuals gathered. "Everybody, I know you have all been patient, and your waiting has come to an end; I think it is time that we all get to know Kai and Rei a little better, and let them know who we are." She smiled at the two new slaves. The cook and her helpers came back and sat down, and Judy continued, "Why don't we go in a circle around the table? Steve, you can start." She gestured to the boy beside her.

A strong-looking, green haired boy in outdoors work clothes nodded politely at them, "I'm Steve and I am the gardener. I came here with Eddie a couple of years ago." He didn't sound like the brightest pea in the pod, but if he was Eddie's friend he had to be nice at least.

Eddie sat next to Steve, "Oh, but you know me and Steve already." Kai nodded affirmatively. The two men shared a grin. They seemed very good friends, and the kind that would get in trouble with the cops for no more reason than the thrill of the chase. Kai called such foolish, but he knew very well why they did it.

After Eddie came a young boy with lilac clothes and brown hair, "Hi! I'm Antonio. I work here in the kitchen. I got here by stealing an apple, but life here is much better than on the streets anyway." He smiled at them, "I am very friendly, but a little silly, or so Tylia says anyway." The cook nodded affirmatively.

On the other side of the table sat a girl with orange hair and huge spectacles. She smiled smugly at them and adjusted her glasses, "My name is Emily, and I also work in the kitchen. I was doing just fine until some cop came and picked me off the street, deciding that I would be better of as a slave. I still say I could have done just as well, but I guess this life is ok too."

Antonio laughed, "That explains why you were half dead from starvation when you were brought here." Emily stuck her tongue out at him.

Tylia shook her head fondly at their banter and then she turned and introduced herself, "I'm Tylia Gelder. I work here for pay. It's a busy job, but I don't complain. I am also living here until I can buy a house of my own."

Next to her sat a young blonde boy with a huge smile plastered on his face, "Hi there, I am Max. I live here with my mom," he gestured to Judy, who smiled. "I sweep and wash the floors together with Tyson here. Welcome to the Ivanov mansion!" he laughed, and Kai could not help but smile at the kid's enthusiasm. The one called Tyson sat next to Max. He had long dark blue hair in a ponytail and a red jacket with blue shorts that stopped just below the knees. He gave Kai and Rei the thumbs up.

Enrique looked like he was dying to talk and now it was finally his turn, "I was brought here by my parents; we lived on the street for some years, but then one day they walked me to the doorstep of this house and told me to wait for them. I waited until nightfall and then I was discovered and brought inside. After that I have been working here, first as an apprentice to the old stable master, but when he died I took over his position. Seems my parents were never planning on coming back, but I guess you always have to leave someone behind, and I have found new friends here. Besides; I know that they brought me here in the hope that I would be taken in, and I was! So everything has worked out just fine for me." Enrique smiled proudly, while most of the others rolled their eyes at the blonde's life story, which they had heard a million times before, in different length and detail. Then they turned to Kai expectantly. All eyes rested on the boy who was staring at his empty plate.

He sighed; he was not too exited at having to pour his own story out to these strangers, but he could hardly ruin the nice mood they had tried to set. He decided to keep it short; no reason to give away too much, "My name is Kai, and I am master Tala's new toy. Rei got me arrested for stealing."

Rei groaned, "You just have to flaunt it, don't you? You would have been caught sooner or later anyway, so stop complaining." When Kai just snorted Rei shook his head and began telling everyone the same story he had told Kai and Eddie the day before. When he was done he looked across the table at Adria, "It's your turn angel, now you can tell Kai all about yourself."

Kai did not know where the feline had picked up the nickname, but he figured Rei had spoken to her some time earlier, and he gave Adria a sad smile, "I'm afraid I have already heard your life story from Mr. loud-mouth over there." He pointed at Enrique and everyone laughed, except Adria who pouted, and Enrique, who looked miffed.

So the ball was tossed to the one sitting beside Adria; a small boy with green hair and a large nose. "The name's Ian, I work here as the second gardener. I became a slave in much the same way that most people do; I was arrested for trying to survive. It's cruel, but it is life, and surviving is much easier here. I was lucky, as I did not really have anyone back there and Mr. Ivanov is a better master than many others."

The next person to speak was a black haired boy with a red bandana and blue clothes. He sneered constantly, even when he turned to the new slaves and introduced himself, "I am Carlos. I do all sorts of things around here." He did not say anything else, and no one asked him to either. Kai realised that this was probably another one of those people he would simply never get along with; the black haired teen was radiating negativity.

Judy finished of the round by explaining that she also worked for pay and that her husband had died a long time ago, which was why she and Max lived in the mansion.

Tylia broke the ensuing spell of silence by standing up, "Now. Time to clean the tables, and then we'll rest a bit before it's time to make lunch. So, get out, out, out all of you, shoo!" She ushered them all out of the kitchen except Emily and Antonio. Kai was one of the last to go and as he turned one last time he saw Emily scraping food off one plate and into the trash. Rei saw her too.

"What are you doing?" he yelled and ran back into the kitchen.

Emily stood up and regarded him quizzically. "I am throwing away the last of the food. What is wrong with that?" Kai didn't understand what was upsetting the teen and so he lingered in the doorway to see what would happen.

"But, but how can you do that? How can you throw away so much food? Do you know how many people would kill to get their paws on that food? Do you know how many kids would be alive if they had only had that amount of food?" Rei was shouting.

Then Tylia came up behind him and put an arm around his shoulder, "We know that, Rei, but how could we give those kids this food, eh? Believe me when I say that we've thought the same many times, but it can't be helped. There are only a few beggars in this part of town and we can't go all the way to the slum to give our leftovers to poor people every day. It is a noble idea, but it just won't work. I am sorry, dear, I am, but there is nothing we can do for them." The feline sighed and left the kitchen with a hanging head. Kai studied him in wonder as he walked up the stairs; perhaps there really was more than selfishness and arrogance to that boy.


	8. The garden

Another Day

Chapter 8

_The Garden_

Kai went to explore the grounds. A while after breakfast he came into the stables and found Enrique half way up a ladder, with a ball of hay on his shoulder. "Hi, there!" Enrique called in greeting.

"Hi. What are you doing?" Kai asked.

The blonde smiled, "I am going to put this away, then I am taking two of the horses out to graze, and lastly I will take Tanny out for a walk." He pointed to a large, black mare, close to Kai.

The slave boy reached out and she sniffed his hand before letting him pet her, "She is beautiful." Kai sighed, his eyes large and shining. He had never seen a horse up close before, but he somehow forgot being afraid of her, even though she was much taller than him and could easily do him a lot of damage.

Enrique came up behind him, "Tanny is Lady Sarah's horse. She's a bit frisky, but she is always careful when the Lady rides her. The twins, Carry and Cimbel, are master Tala's and Lady Danielle's. Those are the two going out to the pound." He pointed at two smaller horses standing beside each other in different stalls. They were brown and white with white manes. There were six horses in all. Enrique walked over to the other side of the long stable and showed Kai the other three horses. There was one large brown, one white and another black one. "The brown one is Amber, she is Mr. Ivanov's horse, and Spark and Cyprus over here are for the carriage."

They talked for a while and admired the horses, but eventually Enrique straightened and sighed, "I had better get going. The twins are getting restless." Kai nodded and got up from his sitting position on the ladder. He left the stables with a wave to Enrique and started strolling down one of the many pebbled paths that forked and met all over the garden. The sun was shining bright and there was hardly a cloud in the sky, but it was thankfully not as warm as it had been yesterday. Kai had no particular goal and it was simply by accident that he managed to stumble over Rei on a patch of grass. The slate haired teen stopped, stared and doubled over in laughter. He laughed so hard that he had to lean on one of the many, white benches that decorated the garden.

The sight before him was hilarious; a pink square of blanket had been spread out on the grass and a small, delicate set of teacups and plates had been placed upon it. There was tea in the cups and a plate of biscuits in the middle. Surrounded by all these things was Rei, with a large, pink, fringed hat on his head, a teacup in one hand and a biscuit in the other. The only thing that spoiled the picture was the deadly glare that Rei sent in Kai's direction. When the Hiwatari finally managed to compose himself, he smiled playfully at Rei, "Enjoying yourself, Pricilla?"

Rei looked around hurriedly, "No, I am not, and if you don't wipe that silly grin off your face I will stuff you into this teacup! I swear that little girl is a monster in disguise! She spent all morning trying on dresses and then she drags me out here for a tea party. I even have to wear this stupid hat! Her mother called for her, and she ordered me to stay here, but she will be back anytime. I just wish I had some poison to drop in her tea."

The slate haired teen snorted, "Did she ask you to scrub her back as well?"

Rei shook his head, "I have been instructed to stay from the bathroom when she is in there. And thank the gods for that! Why do you ask anyway?"

Kai smiled as the memory of the past morning came back to him, "I think my new master has a thing for me; he even asked if I wanted to come into the tub with him."

For a second something dark flashed over Rei's features and when he spoke his voice was filled with a strange mix of sarcasm and anger, which Kai could not quite understand, "I bet you leaped at the chance."

Kai turned just a little colder at the other boy's assumption, "Um, no, I did not actually. And as it is I am afraid that Tala is planning to murder me." Rei looked like he wanted to ask more, but then his eyes went wide as he saw something behind Kai's back. And as Kai looked around he did indeed spot a purple-clad, little figure moving towards them. Realising that this would be a good time to exit the scene he gave a final wave to 'Pricilla', and left as fast as he could, lest Danielle decided to make him play picnic with them.

Kai admired the flowers for a while before he caught sight of someone standing on all four over a flowerbed. His curiosity was awoken and he headed over. It turned out to be Steve, with a small spade in hand and a water-can by his side. He was just finished patting down the earth around a new flower when he noticed Kai. He tipped his big straw hat a bit further up on his head and smiled, "Hi, what are you doing here?"

Kai grinned at him, "Admiring your handiwork."

"I'm going over to clean the bird cage and feed them, you wanna help?"

Kai's eyes widened, "Really? I can?"

Steve nodded, "As long as you stay calm and don't frighten them too much." Kai agreed eagerly, but to his puzzlement they headed for the stable instead of the cage. At his question, Steve explained that they had to get the grain and the key. Once in the stable, Steve headed for the ladder, "I'll go get the grain, and you can get the key. There's a little door in the wall over there." He pointed to the shadows, and Kai walked over, sliding his hands over the old planks until he found a small hole. He curled his index finger inside and pulled, and a small square in the wall swung outwards, revealing a deep, rectangular hole. And there was indeed an old key on a hook inside it. Soon, Steve came down from the ladder with a big sack under his arm. On their way out, he also grabbed a broom that was leaning against the wall.

They walked over the grass towards the birds and Steve said, "You have to promise me not to tell anyone where the key hangs. Lady Sarah loves her birds very much, and she would be devastated if anything happened to them. That is why I hide the key. Not even Enrique knows where it is." Kai promised easily. As they walked, Kai cast a glance behind him and saw Carlos walking along the wall. That was strange; why had they not seen him when they came out of the stable? The wall was so long that he must have rounded the corner before they exited the old building. Kai shrugged and dismissed it; they'd just been too busy to notice him, that was all.

Steve unlocked the chain that kept the door to the cage closed and pocketed the key. Then he opened the door just a fraction and allowed Kai to slip in first, before squeezing through himself, "We mustn't give them a chance to escape. It is especially tricky with the smaller ones, but so far no one has ever managed." Most of the birds ran away when the two men came in, but some continued hopping around, familiar with Steve's presence and recognising it as the signal for dinner-time.

Steve decided that they should clean the cage first. They shooed the birds away as they went and took turns sweeping the ground, until all the feathers lay in a heap, then they swept the pile into a small sack that Steve had brought. Next, it was feeding time, and the green haired man opened the sack of grain. "Why don't you give it a try, Kai? Just take a handful and spread it out on the ground." Kai did as he was told and suddenly all the birds were trying to inhabit the same space, hacking and pecking for the grain. Kai jumped out of the way from the hungry birds, but Steve just laughed and threw another handful of grain, a bit further out this time, to get the fowls a distance away.

"Thanks for letting me help you; it was fun!" Kai said as Steve relocked the cage-door.

Steve smiled at him, "I was just glad for the company; it gets a bit boring when you have done it so many times."

They parted, and Kai walked around the house, on the look-out for more adventures. A sound from above made him stop and listen. Someone was singing. When he thought about it he realised that he had to be standing under the window to the music room, although it was three floors up. From the open window there floated a beautiful voice, singing a song about spring. For a moment, Kai stood very still, his eyes closed and face peaceful, simply listening to the music. It reminded him of his mother, whom he could hardly remember except for her beautiful voice singing him to sleep. A piano came to accompany the song, which rose and fell before ending in a single, clear tone. Kai sighed.

"Sorry to break into your tranquil moment, but you are wanted upstairs." The harsh voice cut through his peace, and Kai turned to find Carlos sneering at him. The blue haired boy didn't say anything, so Carlos repeated, "Tala has called for you. You had better hurry or he will be pissed."

Kai snorted, "Tell your master that he can explode for all I care; I am not coming."

He turned away with the full intension of leaving, but Carlos ran around him and stopped him with a push to the chest, "Where do you think you are going?"

Kai looked at him in confusion and tried to walk the other way, but this time he was grabbed and pushed up against the wall. That was enough. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded.

Carlos growled, "When Tala calls you answer."

Kai shook his head, "I am not going, now let go of me!" He tried to shove Carlos away from him, but the other teen was strong; he had both hands fisted in Kai's shirt, and now he pushed him harder into the wall, until it started hurting.

Kai's eyes widened when Carlos hissed, "You think you are so great, but Tala does not like you. You are not worth the dust on his shoes, and he will punish you if you don't obey his orders."

"What is it with you and Tala anyway? You sound as if you're his number one fan or something. And it is none of your damn business if I obey him or not. He can beat me until I bleed, for all I care." With that Kai shoved his knee into Carlos' side, making the boy let go of him with a cry of pain. Kai looked at the black haired boy incredulously for a moment, and then he ran. He didn't stop until he was up on the third floor.

For some reason, Carlos frightened him. The kid seemed to have lost some of his marbles. As he leaned on a wall and tried to regain his breath, he realised that while everyone else used formal titles when talking about the family members Carlos spoke of Tala by his first name only. Kai did that as well, but he did it out of disobedience, while Carlos seemed to idolize Tala. That kid just got more and more strange.

Footsteps in the stairs made Kai straighten and look around hurriedly. He remembered Judy's words about never coming up here unless on duty. If he was discovered he would be in big trouble, and what if it was Carlos who had followed him? Kai grabbed the nearest door and flitted through, closing it silently behind him. He stood very still and listened to the footsteps come closer and pass. He released the breath he had been holding and turned around to see where he was.

He cried out in surprise when he discovered that he was not alone. He was in the music room, and on a bench by the piano sat Lady Sarah, smiling curiously at him, "Hello, how nice of you to visit." Her voice was rich with amusement. He stood for a moment without knowing what to say, but then the footsteps came back and this time they were coming closer. Kai looked around for a place to hide.

"Quickly, hide here." Kai looked at the Lady with surprise. She was gesturing for him to hide behind the floor-length curtain by the window. She was smiling with excitement, and when the footsteps stopped outside the door, Kai threw all doubts out of the window and did as she told him to. The curtains in this room were green and the whole room was yellow. It had a warm feeling to it. Where he stood now he could not see anything else than the cloth in front of him, but Lady Sarah must have sat down on the bench again for suddenly there was a flowing melody on the piano and the clear voice that he had heard earlier begun her song anew. She stopped when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Kai heard the door open and a familiar voice, "Hello mother, have you seen Kai anywhere?"

Lady Sarah's voice was very sincere as she answered, "No, darling, I have not seen him all day. Have you checked outside? It is such a beautiful afternoon; he is probably enjoying it in the garden."

The footsteps sounded over the floor and when Tala spoke next his voice was too close for comfort, "That boy drives me nuts! I have looked everywhere, I even got Carlos to help me, but that stubborn idiot is nowhere to be found! I don't know what to do with him." Kai almost felt sorry for Tala; he was giving the boy a hard time, but there was no helping it, and Kai would not stop until he found some way to get away from this mansion.

"You know, darling; I think you might be expecting too much from him. It takes time to get used to a new home, and he is probably worried about those he left behind as well. It will take time before he learns to love the life that we will give him here, and you have to allow him that time. Kai is special, and your father bought him to give you a challenge, but you are going about it wrong; you must see by now that Kai can not be forced into submissiveness. You need patience and a soft touch to get him onto your side."

Kai stood very still and listened as the woman spoke. This was the moment that sealed his opinion of Lady Sarah; she was much more than a pretty porcelain doll. This woman had wits and skill, as well as a big heart. How on earth did she end up with a creep like Ivanov? Kai heard Tala sigh, "I guess you are right, as usual. Too bad I was born with my fathers temper instead of your calm wisdom."

Musical laughter rang out over the room, "Oh, Tala, you charmer. You know that flattery won't get you anywhere. Now get going, my son, I am sure you have much to do and it is almost dinnertime." Tala's soft laughter was the last thing Kai heard before the footsteps faded and the door opened and closed.

A second later, the curtain was drawn away and the red haired woman was stifling her laughter behind her hand. Kai stepped out on the floor and looked at her. Had he just found an ally, or was this just a game to her? "Thank you, my lady; I am in your debt, but...why?"

Her smile softened, "I wanted to teach my son that lesson before the two of you met again. Tala is young and does not have much experience with slaves; he needs to learn how to deal with them. And besides; it was rather fun." She laughed, and Kai had to smile with her.

"I heard you singing a little while ago; you have a beautiful voice," he said.

Lady Sarah thanked him for the complement, "All young ladies are supposed to sing and play the piano, so I did not have much choice but to learn. Danielle has private lessons as well, but I can tell you that most people stay well away from the third floor in those hours." She laughed again.

Kai looked at the piano, gathered his courage and asked, "Um, could you...sing some more?" He gestured to the black instrument. She nodded and sat down on the bench again. Kai sat down on the floor, by her feet, and closed his eyes once more, listening. The music took him far, far away and for a while he was perfectly content where he was. The words were simple and before he knew it he was singing along, first to himself and then in a joyful joining with her. He usually only sang when he was alone, but from the few times he had had an audience, he knew that he had a talent for it. When the song ended, Lady Sarah was looking at him with new wonder, and his eyes sought the floor in sudden shyness.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, a bell sounded through the house. "That is the dinnertime call." She rose and walked over the wooden floor, her shoes clicking with each step, and her green dress swishing behind her. He hurried to his feet and held open the door for her. She awarded him with a broad smile and he felt strangely light-headed. The bell sounded once again and Kai hurried down the stairs and out into the yard, to make sure that he did not bump into Tala or anyone else that would have him do his 'duty'.


	9. A wicked wind

Another Day

Chapter 9

_A Wicked Wind_

"Wow, you came! And here I thought you were gone for good." Tala was once again sitting contently on his bed, when Kai came in with a tray.

The slave placed the breakfast on his masters lap with a bit more force than necessary and asked, "Is there anything else you need done or can I leave?"

Tala pointed to several boxes full of what seemed to be toys and other items, "I want those carried up to the playroom on the third floor. And make it quick, will you?"

Kai grumbled under his breath but he was relieved that he did not have to repeat the bath-incident. He lifted up one of the boxes and was nearly sent crashing to the floor; these things were really heavy! Kai just managed to keep his balance with the box in his arms. Tala was watching with amusement from the bed.

'_He'__s expecting me to complain and give up, but I'll show him,'_ the Hiwatari thought and staggered towards the door.

He made it out the door, but as soon as it closed behind him he put the load down. This was impossible; the box was difficult to hold and as heavy as an anvil, but he had to try, or Tala would laugh at him. This was a contest, and Kai wanted to win, so he picked up the box again and headed for the stairs to the third floor. Luckily for him, the stairs were wide, and the slope was not steep at all, still it took him a long time to get to the top, and he nearly fell backwards a few times. Kai was glad that he did not meet anyone on the way; he knew he had to look ridicules staggering forth and back in the hallway, trying to reach the children's playroom. He ran all the way back; the loss of the weight made him feel light as a feather, and if nothing else he could make Tala think he had finished sooner than he had.

Once back in the bedroom he grabbed box number two out of four. Tala was smiling at him, but Kai just ignored his master and began his journey anew. Was it just his imagination or was this box heavier? The stairs went faster now that he had learned the best way to walk and carry the load, but this time he did not run back as his legs were already protesting. He flexed his arms to get rid of the pain before going to get one more box.

This time he was managed to trip on the way up the stairs, and the box, with all its content, tumbled down and landed in a heap at the bottom. Kai cursed and went to pick it up. However, it soon proved to be quite the treasure he had been carrying around, and Kai spent a few minutes simply going through Tala's stuff. He must have had a cleanout of his old toys and other things that he did not need anymore. The teen found, to his amusement, several stuffed bears and other cuddly toys, and also some children's books with lots of drawings and not much writing.

The fourth time around he was more motivated, and he even returned Tala's smirk with a cocky smile. He was just on the top of the stairs when he met Adria. She smiled at him and he could not help but smile back. The girl was wearing a baby-blue dress that highlighted her eyes, and with her sunny curls spilling over her shoulder he began to understand why Rei called her angel.

She looked curiously at the load in his arms, "What are you doing?"

He put down the box and crouched down beside her, "I am helping master Tala put away his things."

The girl bent over the box to see better, and her eyes lit up. "Oh, look at all the pretty things!" She exclaimed.

Kai picked up a pretty doll with porcelain skin and black hair and held it out to her. The girl took it carefully, looking at it with wide wondering eyes. Kai did not know how long he stayed there with the Adria, going through the box and looking at all the things that Tala had played with when he was younger, but suddenly there was a cough behind them and Kai stood up.

"So this is where you ended up. I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen down the stairs or something." Tala did not seem angry that Kai had let Adria touch his things, but Kai was still tense; he wasn't yet quite confident in his ability to read his master.

Tala walked over and crouched down beside the girl, "Do you like the toys, Adria?" His voice was mild. The girl nodded shyly. "What do you like the most?" He asked.

Kai had never seen Tala act so friendly before, and his eyes went really wide when, after Adria had whispered that the porcelain doll was really pretty, Tala only laughed and handed it to her, "Well, keep it then, but promise me to take good care of her." Adria promised eagerly and hugged the doll tight. She also hugged Tala once before running down the stairs and out of view.

Kai followed her with his eyes until she disappeared, and then he turned his shocked expression on Tala, "It's a miracle; you're human!"

But the redhead was no longer smiling, "I thought I told you to hurry up. Get that box into the playroom, and then you will go outside and wait for me by the gate, and no dawdling this time!" He left.

Kai shook his head. He carried the last box in, and just to be mean he lingered, walking around and studying the playroom. It was not large. The walls were soft orange, and the floor was cushioned by a thick rug. A single window showed the front gate and the numerous houses that lay beyond. Kai sighed and wondered if he would ever see anything else than the inside of the high brick wall that surrounded the mansion. There was one bookcase with lots of children's books in it, and toys lay littered everywhere. Kai recognised the pink hat that Rei had worn the previous day.

Then he caught sight of Tala through the window, and he hurried to exit the room.

It was another fine day. Normally summer would mean blistering heat, dry, dusty streets and water-shortages for the slum rats, but here it was fittingly warm and Kai had yet to notice any kind of shortage at the Ivanov mansion. He exited through the kitchen, saying hello to Antonio and Tylia as he passed them and to Ian in the door. Then he ran down the side of the house and slowed to a jog when he neared his impatient master. Tala glared at him, "I don't think I need to tell you that you have once again disobeyed my orders, as a little voice in the back of my head is telling me that you did it on purpose."

Kai shrugged, "Be that as it may, I've heard that hearing voices in your head is the first sign of insanity."

Tala shook his head in frustration, making his red bangs stir, "Forget it. We are going for a walk. Normally I would take my dog, but I decided to give you some exercise. Every Sunday, I, Bryan and Spencer take a tour around the block or further, depending on what we feel like. Now, I am warning you; Spencer isn't exactly frightfully intelligent, but he can make a stew out of you without difficulties, so don't insult him, and beware of Bryan; he can be very cruel if you give him reason to. Don't oppose him and don't get in his way. He will not lay a hand on you as long as I say no, but don't expect me to protect you if you misbehave. Oh, and always ask permission before speaking."

Tala turned and caught sight of three figures coming closer, "That must be them now."

Kai studied the party as they neared. Spencer was a tall, muscular blonde. He looked like he was marching, with his back straight and his eyes forward, and his face was serious. Bryan was a little shorter than Tala, with beady eyes and purple hair. He also had a small, confident smirk on his face. Kai didn't like either of them. Behind the two upper-class boys came another boy, with his head lowered and shoulders slumped. His face was fine-boned and beautiful, framed by simmering green hair. His eyes were large and deep. But he looked shy.

As they neared the gate, Tala held out a rope to Kai, "I'll keep you tied up just in case, but you can't get away, so don't try; if you run then I will chase you, and if you escape then I will call in the police." Kai rolled his eyes, but he held up his hands so the redhead could tie them together. A length of rope was left hanging down from his gathered wrists and Tala grabbed the end of it.

'_At least he doesn't have me wearing a dog-collar, or walking on all four,'_ Kai thought, but the knowledge did not make this any more fun.

"Hey, Tala, what's with the closed gate?" Bryan called. The trio was standing by the gateway into the manor.

"New slaves. We have some trouble keeping them in," Tala answered. He walked over to the gate and picked a small, black key from his pocket, turning it in the lock and opening the gate. He gestured for Kai to go first and locked the gate behind them. At Bryan's questioning look he said, "Kai here may be secured, but there is one more on the inside, and he would love this opportunity to get out of here. He belongs to my sister."

The three boys laughed. "No wonder he wants to get away!"

They walked slowly down the wide, paved road, the three men in front and the slaves behind. Kai listened to Tala chatting with his friends and now and then he would throw a glance at the shy boy beside him, who remained silent and subdued. He was not tied up, but Kai figured he had to belong to Bryan, because he was always walking in line behind the purple haired man and every time he spoke, the slave would startle and glance up with fear in his eyes. What Tala had said about Bryan being cruel had to be true.

This neighbourhood was totally different from what Kai was used to; there were large, solid houses in neat rows, with high or low fences, and lush, green gardens. There was hardly an alley in sight, only large streets, and, in contrast to the crowded slum, there were only a few people outside, taking a walk or making their way from A to B. It was like stepping into another world, were everything was sunny, white and clean. Not to mention boring.

The three up front were getting rather loud, laughing at some joke, and Kai was surprised when the green haired boy beside him bent close and whispered, "Excuse me, but do you know Enrique?" This question was probably the last thing Kai had expected, but he nodded a yes. The boy did not look at him, he kept a wary eye on his master, but he continued, "Could you possibly give him a message from me?"

Kai nodded again, "Sure I can."

Finally, the boy turned and looked at him, really looked at him, as if trying to gauge his trustworthiness. Finally he bent even closer and opened his mouth, but he never got to say anything.

"What are you two doing?"

Kai jumped when Bryan stepped in between them and drove the green haired boy backwards.

"We were not doing anything, master. I swear!" The slave looked close to tears already.

"You were talking! What did you say to him, Oliver?" Bryan stood very close, and leaned over the boy, making him bend backwards.

"Nothing, master, nothing at all."

Kai took a step towards them, meaning to help, but he was immediately pulled back by Tala. Kai turned to his master to protest, but suddenly Bryan swung his fist and hit Oliver hard, making him fall backwards. Kai tried once again to separate them, but Tala pulled on the rope until the slave stumbled and fell to his knees in front of the redhead. Bryan was still pounding and kicking the defenceless boy.

"How can you just stand there and let it happen?" Kai shouted at Tala.

For a moment his master looked down and Kai was surprised at the stony look of those blue eyes. "Be silent Kai, you must ask permission before you speak." The flat, uncaring tone left Kai speechless. He stared up at his master while the sound of Oliver's pain tore at his heart. What sort of a man was he serving?

"I was wrong; you are not human," he all but whispered. If Tala had heard he gave no sign of it.

He stood still, observing. "Watch, Kai."

And for once, Kai obeyed; he watched the horrible scene before him until Bryan was finished with his slave. Oliver was bruised and weeping, but still alive. Bryan hauled him to his feet, and, without so much as checking if the boy could still walk, he turned and began strolling up the street like nothing had happened.

Spencer, who had not spoken much so far, joined him and asked in a completely neutral tone if Bryan had met Robert lately, and if he knew how he was coming along. Tala turned as well, and Oliver followed his master on wobbly legs, but Kai did not get up from the ground.

When Tala bounced back on the end of the rope, he turned and gave an annoyed groan, "Kai, I am not playing this game with you today. Be a good boy and get to your feet. I promise you we will be home soon and then you can do whatever you want, ok?"

There was no response.

Tala pulled the rope, "Come on, you lazy mule." But Kai did not move.

Bryan came up beside him and cracked his knuckles, "Want me to persuade him for you?"

Tala pursed his lips, "How about that, Kai? I could let him you know. Do you really want that? Do you want to end up like Oliver?" Of course he wouldn't let Bryan do anything of the sort, but he didn't have to let Kai know that. His mother's advice played in his ears, but he shut it out.

Kai's voice was far from steady when he answered, "Isn't that what you want? Don't you want me to cower at the very sound of your voice? Don't you want me to be silent and shy and obey you like it was all I lived for? Don't you like beating me, master?" Tala could only stare.

Bryan raised an eyebrow, "Where did you get this guy?"

Tala sighed in sudden determination, walked over and dragged Kai up on his feet, "That's about all I can handle today. We are going home." He kept the rope short this time, making sure that the slave could not sit down again or pull any other stunt. He said his goodbyes to Bryan and Spencer, before taking a shortcut back to the mansion.

Kai looked back once, and caught Oliver looking at him in wonder. He was mostly silent on the way back, but as they neared the house he asked, "Do you enjoy it, Tala...beating slaves?"

The redhead stopped and turned around, shaking his head in disbelief, "No, Kai, I don't enjoy beating slaves. In fact I have never had a reason to beat a slave before."

Kai pushed out his lower lip, looking adorably defiant. "I don't believe you."

The redhead sighed again. He turned fully to face his slave and grabbed his chin in one hand, forcing Kai to look him in the eyes. He made his tone mild and reassuring when he spoke, "I don't enjoy hurting you, Kai. And as soon as you settle, you will realise that life with me is far from the worst you could get." They entered through the gates in silence.

It was still a couple of hours until dinner time. Tala unbound Kai's hands and for a moment the two were left standing in uncomfortable silence. The slave was rubbing his wrists to get the blood circulation going and the master didn't really know what to say.

"I don't think I will be needing you anymore today, but be ready in case I call." He ran a hand though his red hair, but when he glanced at Kai those crimson orbs had once again hardened.

"You must have misjudged me if you think that anything that has happened so far today will convince me to follow orders. You can call all you like, but don't wait around for me to come running." Kai left with that, and Tala stood behind feeling oddly hurt.


	10. Of brooms and closets

Another Day

Chapter 10

_Of brooms and closets_

Kai decided that he had had enough sun for now, and walked towards the kitchen. On the way he passed the stables and the sight reminded him suddenly of what he had promised to do. He looked inside for Enrique, but the blonde wasn't there. There were not that many interesting places to spend free time in this house and, since all the horses were in their boxes, Enrique could not be out working, so Kai reasoned he would probably be in the kitchen. The kitchen was the centre of all activity on the servants' part; everyone who was going from inside to outside, or the other way around, had to pass through here.

Indeed, the blonde was sitting on a chair, talking to Max. Emily was washing a cupboard above the sink, her knees on the bench and a look of concentration on her face. Kai walked over to the two by the table and their conversation stilled when they noticed him. They took in his serious expression and Enrique asked, "Hi there, Kai, is something the matter?"

Kai sighed, "Not really. I was just wondering if you know kid named Oliver."

He was surprised when Enrique shot up and grabbed him by the collar, "Have you spoken to Oliver?"

Kai nodded, "I went with Tala and their friends on their weekly walk. Oliver wanted to give me a message for you, but we were...interrupted."

Enrique looked like he knew exactly what that meant; his excitement became sorrow, and he sat down again with his head hanging. Max looked knowingly and sympathetically at the other blonde.

Kai felt terrible; he should have done more to stop Bryan from beating Oliver. "Is he a good friend of yours?"

He immediately regretted his words when Enrique turned angry eyes on him, "I love him."

He looked at Kai as if daring him to say something cruel, but Kai surprised him, "He seemed like a very nice kid. I'm happy for you. He must love you a lot considering the risk he knew he took in speaking to me about you."

Enrique looked defeated again, "Bryan is a complete bastard who loves to beat his slaves simply for fun. Oliver used to be confident and full of life, but then he was sold to Bryan and now he is just a shadow. Still, he is the most wonderful person I have ever met. I wish I could get him away from the Tozanavitzs, but if a slave escapes from their household then they hunt him down and kill him. No matter how long it takes." He put his head in his hands.

Kai did not know what to do or say except, "Don't give up, Enrique. Some things are worth fighting for even against impossible odds."

The blonde looked up at him, "Thank you, Kai. I won't give up."

The Hiwatari left the kitchen. He was just up the stairs when Max caught up with him, "Kai, I just want to warn you. Don't mess with Bryan; he's cruel to the bone. You have to leave this battle to Enrique and Oliver."

"I can't promise you not to meddle, but I will be careful, Max." He turned and walked down the narrow hall.

Kai cried out in surprise when a door was thrown open right in front of his nose. The cry alerted the person who had opened the offending barrier to his presence, and Rei peeked around the corner of the white door. He looked slightly nervous, but Kai did not get to ask why before a shrill voice called from down the corridor. The feline grabbed Kai and hauled him into the room.

It proved to be a small broom closet, and when the door closed it became so dark that Kai could barely see the outline of Rei in the light that came from the cracks around the door. The left wall held shelves filled with stuff and the floor was also full of things except from a small space in the middle in which both boys had to keep their feet.

Kai was not at all happy with this turn of events, "What do you think you are doing, you moron?"

All he earned was a hand clamped over his mouth. "Quiet," the black haired boy whispered, "Danielle is after me." Indeed, it was the youngest member of the Ivanov family who was walking down the hall, calling out for Rei. She passed the door, and the black haired boy tensed up. Kai on the other hand, didn't care whether Danielle found them, but as she passed he noted somehting odd; unless he was much mistaken the little girl was not supposed to have more than two feet. Who was walking with her?

The tiny space in which they both had to keep their feet made it impossible to stand up straight, so Kai had to lean on the wall and Rei was leaning over Kai, so close that the blue haired boy could feel every careful intake of breath.

Finally the threat passed, and Rei exhaled in relief.

It was really was dark in there and now that no one was walking in the hall the only noise left was the two boys' breathing. Kai waited, but when nothing happened he exclaimed, "Well, what are you waiting for? Open the door, damn it!"

He was becoming increasingly nervous with every second; he was not only trapped in a tiny closet with a very attractive boy practically hugging him, but he was beginning to feel claustrophobic. He was not used to cramped spaces, although he had hidden in many a tight corner before; when he was running from the cops or hiding he always had his survival in mind and that made him focus and overcome whatever fear that tried to settle in him, but here there was nothing else than the darkness and the clean scent of Rei's hair.

"Open the door!"

"I'm trying, but it is stuck! It must have locked itself when I slammed it."

Kai felt panic rise in him, "It's locked?"

Rei tried again, but the door remained firmly shut. "How could it have locked itself? Doors with keys don't just lock themselves," Rei said, wondering.

"It's locked?!" Kai almost squeaked.

Rei sighed, "Don't worry; someone is bound to come along and then we can call for help." So they stood there in awkward silence for a little while, waiting.

"So...what have you done today?" The feline asked.

"I've carried boxes... and been walked around the neighbourhood."

Rei grimaced, "You got to go outside? You were lucky; I had to brush Danielle's hair for what felt like an hour before she was happy. Then she wanted to experiment on my hair, so I ran away. I've spent most of the day in hiding."

Kai chuckled, and it vibrated through Rei as well, from where he was leaning on Kai's strong chest. It made him draw a sharp breath, but the other boy didn't notice.

Footsteps coming from the kitchen made both boys sharpen their ears. "Hello! Can anyone hear me? Help!" Rei yelled.

Kai felt extremely embarrassed at being found locked in a closet, but Rei was soft and warm and pressed against him, and if they did not get out soon then Rei might notice the way that was affecting Kai. So he shouted along with the black haired boy and when the footsteps came to a halt outside the door he was relieved. But the voice that came from the other side belonged to the one person that Kai did not want to meet.

"Is that Rei and Kai I hear?" Soft and smug and so...knowing.

Rei had felt the same instinctive dislike for Carlos that Kai had, but he had not spoken to the strange boy yet, and so didn't really know what they were up against, "Carlos, the door is locked! Could you get the key somehow?" He asked nicely, while Kai remained silent and tense.

Soft laughter came from the other side of the white door, "Why would I do that?"

Kai sighed; he had expected this. "Carlos, come on; don't do this, just help us out," he said, not quite as friendly as Rei had. This time the laughter they received was high-pitched and crazy. Kai felt Rei shiver against him.

Carlos left with a last; "It is so nice of you to stick around while I go inform Tala what you are up to." Kai growled, but there was nothing he could do.

Rei shook his head, "What is wrong with that boy?" Kai only shrugged; he was not sure himself.

A few seconds passed in silence, but then Rei said, "Well, at least, if Carlos goes to Tala, we will get out of here."

Kai grabbed Rei by the front of his tunic in sudden realisation, "What? No! This is all your fault."

The jostling made Rei start to slide, and when he attempted to regain his footing he found nowhere to place his feet. Instead he ended up falling further onto Kai. "Relax, stupid, it's not the end of the world," he said while still trying to reposition his feet.

Kai released him, "Sure, that's what you think; you aren't the personal slave of that selfish, cold-hearted brat."

Being released caused Rei to slide downwards faster. Their soft shoes had only a precarious hold on the smooth floor and their slanted positions made it even worse. Rei yelped in surprise at the sudden loss of support and grabbed a hold of Kai, trying to keep himself up.

Kai seized the cat by the shirt and dragged him back up roughly in an attempt to mend the situation. "Stay on your feet will you?" But even as he said it he could feel himself slipping as well. Someone was taking their job of washing the floors way too seriously.

For a moment, both boys struggled not to fall. It wouldn't have been so bad if Kai could only sit down, but up against the wall he was leaning on stood several buckets and other things that would make the fall quite uncomfortable. They ended up helplessly staring at each other as they slid down the wall. Suddenly, and with a surprised yell, Kai fell the rest of the way, pushing Rei's feet away from under him so that the cat landed on top of Kai, knocking his breath out. Kai's feet collided with the shelf and caused most of the contents to fall down on them.

When it seemed that everything that could fall down had fallen down, the two teens found themselves nose to nose. Kai was very much aware of the way their bodies were pressed together. Rei's face was inches from his own and the feline's golden eyes were wide and shining in the darkness of the closet. In the awkward silence, Kai noticed that his left foot was trapped between a fallen shelf and some other unidentifiable items, and so he pulled, trying to get it out. With a hard tug he managed to free it, at the same time pushing his leg up between Rei's and colliding with the hardness there.

What? Hardness? Oh.

Rei gave a strangled groan but not in pain; Kai was wearing baggy pants that made for a soft impact.

The slate haired teen felt his face grow hot, even though it was Rei who should be blushing. "Um, sorry," Kai said, wishing fervently that someone would come and get them the heck out.

He meant to rise, but Rei had other plans, and he was not half as shy as Kai was. The Hiwatari was caught completely unprepared by the soft lips that were pressed to his. His first thought was to protest, or push the feline away, but the taste that suddenly flooded his senses and the awakening heat between his legs were enough to drive all such thoughts away. He threaded a hand in Rei's hair to hold him in place and ran his tongue over his companion's lips. The raven haired boy moaned and responded eagerly.

The two were too occupied to notice the footsteps coming their way. The sudden light that filled the closet made them part as far as was possible, not very far in their position, and look up at the now open door. They hadn't even heard the key being turned. In the doorway stood Enrique with a part shocked, part amused look on his face. For a second it was completely silent.

"I only came for a bucket, but I think I will leave you two to your business."

That got the two slaves in the closet to react. They got up, with less than a little grace, and managed to stumble out of their crowded prison. The blonde only raised an amused eyebrow.

Once out and composed, Rei scratched the back of his head and said hesitantly, "Um...we would appreciate if you do not tell anyone about this."

Enrique grabbed his bucket, closed the door and smiled, "Of course I won't. Good luck you two."

Kai sighed, but didn't argue any further. Instead he began to think, "Enrique, has this door ever gotten jammed?"

The blonde looked puzzled, "No, it hasn't. Why?"

"Because if it hasn't then someone must have locked us in."

"Well, there are multiple keys to the closets in this house so anyone could have done it, but why would anyone lock the two of you in a closet? Apart from the obvious, of course."

Kai covered his eyes with one hand, "It's not what you think, Enrique."

"Of course not," the blonde grinned with obvious amusment, before leaving.

Rei looked after the retreating figure, "We might as well have shouted it at the top of our lungs from the roof."

But Kai shook his head, "No, I think that he will know not to reveal this particular secret to anyone." With that Kai left the other way, leaving Rei to wonder.

_'Great, now I have to take a cold shower as well. What more can come along to trouble me today?'_

At dinner that day they were at their full number; Boris had joined them. There were fifteen servants in all at the Ivanov mansion. Kai sat between Max and Ian, and he chatted a bit with both, learning to know them better. Ian was very similar to him in the sense that he knew the harsh reality of life and accepted it without complaints. He sounded more like a warrior than a gardener, but then again Steve looked like a warrior and he too spent most of his day with his hands buried in soil. Ian told Kai that working with flowers was a way to see the better things in life, and not just focusing on the negative.

That night was not a calm one for the slave. He slept restlessly and woke several times from the same nightmare. Rei slept through it all and Kai was glad, for he did not like others to see his weak moments, and for some reason it was important not to show Rei in particular. He woke up one final time a long time before dawn. Realising that the battle for sleep was lost, he got dressed and left his bed.


	11. Hitting the wall

Another Day

Chapter 11

_Hitting the wall_

Judy woke up early that morning. She meant to sneak out quietly, as she had to go through the boys' and Boris' rooms to get out, but by the first bed she stopped; Kai's bed was empty and his clothes were gone. Her first thought was that he had tried to run, and she hurried out into the gardens, hoping to reach him before he got away. She was a bit surprised when she found him sitting quietly on a bench, enjoying the first rays of the morning sun.

He had one leg pulled up on the bench and he was chewing thoughtfully on a blade of grass. She stood for a moment, simply watching him, in this silent hour when no one else was awake. A strange peace was over the world, and as she studied the scene before her she felt very much the intruder, while the blue haired boy seemed to belong here, in mental conversation with the rising sun.

He became aware of her and turned, his eyes not betraying his thoughts. She found she could not hold that red gaze and so she moved, sitting down on the bench beside him. For a while it was silent, but then he spoke, "When I came here...I didn't know more than the first steps of being a slave; the whipping, the selling. Then I realised that being a slave is more complicated than it seems; it is about getting up every morning with a goal, it's about making someone happy without expecting them to thank you for it, it is about accepting what is your place, set by someone in a better position than you."

Judy waited, but there came no more, so she asked, "And is that so bad?"

His face turned suddenly dark, and the woman had to cast a glance at the sun to make sure it was still there, for the warm rays did not seem to reach the handsome face of the boy beside her anymore.

"Yes, it is. For it is also about being kept in a cage, and having people tell you what to do every second of the day. It's about watching someone else being beaten until they bleed and not being able to do anything to help them, it's about being parted from your loved ones without getting to say goodbye...it's about loosing your dignity for someone else's pleasure." As he spoke, he rose from the seat, but he did not look at her. He spoke to the sun, which was all the way over the horizon now, shining white and sharp. Judy was tempted to think that it was shining for him, rising to the sound of his voice.

"You know," she began carefully; "many slaves are nothing but criminals; murderers and gang members. Many people deserve to be-"

He turned on her and shouted furiously, "Rei did not deserve it! Mariah and Lee did not deserve it! I did not deserve it!!" She stared at him in shock. He calmed himself with an effort, before saying, lower now, "Who are they to decide who deserve what fate?" He pointed in the general direction of the house.

She sighed, "You can't change the way our society works, Kai; you are only a boy."

He turned back to the sun, "That may be, but I can still escape the fate that they have set for me. I am grateful for the kindness that you have shown me so far, but do not expect me to hang around for long. I hope you will not try to stop me." He left her there, on the bench, without waiting for a reply. He headed down a random path and ended up in front of the brick wall that surrounded the whole property.

Kai ran one hand over the crumbling old bricks. The wall was thick and sturdy, and looked too tall to scale, even with a running start. He scratched one brick idly, and his fingers came away orange from the crumbles. The vines were indeed too thin to climb, but they was green and healthy, so Steve and Ian had to be doing a good job with them, as they were with the entire garden. For a moment Kai was filled with jealousy; everyone was doing their job well except him. He couldn't even carry out the simplest of orders thanks to his stubborn pride. He shook his head; how could he think such thoughts? He wanted out, out, out, out! The others could say whatever they wanted about this place, but for Kai it was a prison, worse than the cell he had spent Thursday night in. He looked up at the sky and longed to join the birds flying past him; they were free, and that was what Kai needed to be as well.

"You can't escape, so you might as well stop trying."

It was Danielle. Kai turned and saw the little girl up close for the first time. She was short and a bit on the chubby side, her brown, shoulder-length hair was braided, she had lots of freckles and an upturned button nose. She would have been quite cute if it had not been for the arrogant expression on her face. She was wearing a red dress with black shoes and white stockings. She was younger than Kai, by several years, but older than Adria.

He grunted in answer, turning his gaze back to the wall. "This barrier is not enough to keep me here."

Her reply was a fake, high pitched little laughter, meant to taunt, "You think yourself so clever, don't you? Just because you don't give in until you are punished, but then you always cower, that's what I've heard. They say you screamed like a baby when they whipped you. That's not very brave or strong if you ask me."

Kai did not shift his gaze from the solid wall, "Well, no one asked you."

She scowled, "Humph, I don't even know why I bother talking to you. You slaves are not worth anything anyway. You are only here to serve us. We are better than you."

She said it in a matter-of-fact tone that sent a twinge of pain through Kai's heart, and he got an intense need to hurt this little monster as much as possible, "Get lost, you little witch."

Danielle's eyes widened, "You can't call me that? I am your better! I demand you apologise immediately."

Kai laughed, he threw his head back and laughed, "Who taught you all this, huh, your good-for-nothing brother? Or perhaps it was your bastard father? Did he tell you that you are better than me? Why; because I don't have a big house and a pony of my own, maybe it's because I don't eat from a silver platter and have one suit of clothing for each hour of the day, or because I don't stick my nose up in the air and prance around like a peacock? You have got to be kidding me; I am worth just as much as any of the upper-class idiots that you hang around with. And I have known slum rats whose value is twice as much as yours, you stuck up, ugly, little brat!"

For a second the girl stood silent, her mouth opening and closing without a sound, but then she turned on her heel and ran towards the house, bawling so loudly it was a wonder no one came running. Kai sighed and looked at the wall again. Perhaps he should try to scale it anyway; that girl was bound to run right to daddy with the whole story.

He walked along the wall until he came to the gate. The bars were vertical, with one horizontal bar running over the middle. A big "I" had been made to part down the middle when the gate opened. Kai looked the contraption up and down; he might just be able to scale it. The biggest problem was the spikes on the top, which could hurt him severely if he wasn't careful. Oh well, you wouldn't get anywhere without the first step. Kai backed away a bit and spit in his hands, rubbing them together. He ran, jumped, grabbed the bars and hoisted himself up.

Unfortunately, the vertical bars were do smooth to give him hold, and he slid back down. But Kai, never one to give up easily, tried again and this time he got both feet in front of him on the horizontal bar. He took hold a little higher up and meant to take another leap, but suddenly he was pulled downwards hard, and he landed on his back on the ground.

His unhealed scars cried out in protest, and for a moment he had to squeeze his eyes shut against the pain, which mounted and then passed. He opened his eyes to see a very angry redhead standing above him. "We have given you a home, we have given you food and clothes to wear, we brought you away from a life of hiding and stealing, we spared you from a death of starvation or cold, and this is how you repay us? You insult our kindness and try to run away." Tala glared down at him. Kai tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by a boot planted in his chest, "Stay down."

Kai felt his own temper rising, "What do you know about what you brought me away from. Have you ever seen the slum? Have you ever asked us what we think of it and the life we live there? Did you ever ask me if I wanted to be helped this way? No! You did not, and you have not! You drag me away from my friends without asking if I will miss them! What reason could possibly justify the punishment that you have given me?"

Tala growled, "You stole money from people!"

But Kai retorted just as fiercely, "No, I stole food enough to feed myself! It wasn't me who stole that purse, but the cops don't care who gets blamed as long as they get praise for their good work!"

"You shouldn't have stolen anything in the first place! Neither food nor money!" Tala yelled.

"You would have done the same thing in my situation." Kai stated.

Tala opened his mouth, but could not find anything to say, "Well…well, why did you insult my sister like that?"

For a moment the smirk returned, but Kai had an answer for this one as well, "She called me worthless. She defended the upper-class' opinion of slaves in its purest and most cruel form. The opinions that your wonderful father has taught her, and the same way of thinking that makes you believe you have the right to treat me like your dog."

For a moment Kai thought that he had won, but then Tala's face hardened. He bent down, until his face was nearly touching the other boy's, and then he said, slowly and clearly, "Well, that is right; I have all the right to treat you any way I want. I own you, I bought you, and it doesn't matter what you think you are, as long as I say that you are my slave. You hear that Kai?" This time the name was tinged with contempt, "You are my slave, and I will make you pay for your behaviour."

Kai sneered, and before Tala could pull away he was grabbed by the collar and tossed to the ground. Kai was on his feet in a second, but Tala was also fast; he grabbed Kai around the waist and they both tumbled onto the gravel once more. Kai punched Tala in the gut to get him off, but Tala didn't let go, and he returned the favour by hitting Kai in the jaw. They rolled on the ground in a fury of arms and legs. It was primal, aggressive and out of control. None of them gave a thought to their surroundings; it was only the two of them and this classical battle for dominance. There was no style or grace or order to their fight, for none of them had had much combat training. It was all about getting your opponent to give up, but with each bruise and scrape their anger only grew.

Kai managed to get Tala under him and straddled his waist, trying to grab his flailing arms to immobilise him, but Tala was far from the helpless little daddy's-boy that the slave had expected; he fisted his hands in each other and hit Kai's temple as hard as he could. For a moment the blue haired boy's vision went black, and he swayed dangerously where he sat. And while he tried to clear away the spots that swam in his vision, Tala could push him off and reverse their position.

"You know, my mother told me to go easy on you, to give you some time, and I was tempted to follow her advice, but then I learned that she was not being entirely honest with me. Did you really think you could escape from me in my own home, Kai? After eight years of playing hide and seek with Danielle one would think I had learned how to see if someone is standing behind the curtains!"

Kai was completely immobilized as Tala was sitting on top of him and had his arms pinned above him head. Then the redhead began a taunting little version of the song that Kai and Lady Sarah had sung together. The slate haired boy trashed and twisted to get away, but Tala was heavy, and he only bent closer, singing louder. A wave of rage gave Kai strength; he tore one of his hands free and grabbed a handful of sand and gravel which he tossed in the redheads face. Tala cried out and let go of Kai, who pushed him all the way off and got back on his feet. Without pausing they were at each others throats again. Once again fist flew as the two, equally stubborn boys only got more and more furious.

Suddenly and unexpectedly they were torn apart. Judy had seen the two combatants and run for help. Ivanov was holding Tala back forcefully, but when the redhead recognised his father he calmed himself and stopped struggling. He flashed Kai a victorious smirk; he knew he had won. Kai on the other hand was being held tight by the arms by Boris, who grunted with the effort of holding on to the raging teen. Other people had also come to the scene; Danielle was standing behind her father, her smile a copy of Tala's, and behind her stood Rei, looking expressionless. Steve stood over by one corner of the house and Carlos could be seen beside him, looking smug for some reason. In a window, high up on the third floor, Lady Sarah pulled the curtains shut and left the painting room, sadness written on her features.

"What on earth has happened here?" Ivanov sounded furious.

Tala answered, "He was running away, father, I tried to stop him and he attacked me."

Kai was breathing heavily, he was bruised and scraped and his lip was split, but somehow the throbbing pain only added to the warm ball of fury and hatred that was boiling inside of him. He stood silent in Boris' strong grasp, but he was tense, and each breath came out as a low growl. Tala was equally battered, but the knowledge wasn't enough for Kai.

Ivanov turned to him now, and he touched Kai's chin, but the boy shook him off and looked away. The man sighed, "I am sorry to have to do this Kai, but when you attack my son I have no more choice. We gave you much freedom in the beginning, but it seems you need to be tamed and trained before I can allow you to walk freely again."

Kai interrupted him, "Freely? You call this freedom?" He sounded outraged, but he was quickly cut off as Boris put one gloved hand over his mouth.

Ivanov continued as if nothing had happened, "You will be locked in your room for the rest of today. No more walking around the garden; you will stay indoors unless under close supervision by someone who can handle your violence and your temper." He looked sad, and Kai felt like he wanted to cry himself. "Lock him up, Boris. Come on Tala, I'll have Eddie see to those bruises."

Judy brought Kai's things into his new room, she did her job with a hanging head, and she avoided looking at Kai, who was escorted in by Boris. This room was in the basement, and it was considerably colder and more hostile than the former one had been.

Boris' face wore no expressions as he spoke before he left, "Your meals will be brought to you, and you will stay in this room unless accompanied by me, Steve, Eddie, or master Ivanov himself. We will decide what to do with you later." He closed the door, leaving Kai in half darkness. The Hiwatari slumped down on his bed and fought the anger that made him want to get up and rage around, tearing things apart and banging on the walls; he did not need to give them more reasons to think him a wild animal. Eventually, emotional and physical exhaustion dragged him into sleep.


	12. Settling and unsettling

Another Day

Chapter 12

_Settling and unsettling_

It was a bit darker when he woke up. The blanket had fallen down while he slept, but he let it lie, as it was warm in the room. There was a single, small window on the top of the wall. It was just on level with the outside ground and grass grew along the side of it. When Kai looked out he could see that it was probably midday, but no more. He sighed and made himself more comfortable on the bed; today had not been a good day, but he had known that it would not be from the moment he woke up, long before sunrise.

He didn't know why he had exploded on Judy like that, but he had been right; no matter how annoying Rei was he did not deserve to be a slave. Kai had to admit that deep down he had a certain grudging respect for him. And Lee and Mariah, wherever they were, should not be trapped behind walls, but free to run as it fit the Tigers. And he himself... Kai closed his eyes and remembered.

_A five year old boy is resting in the arms of a brown haired man, who is sitting in a corner of a filthy house, full of planks, barrels and old, dusty rags. A blue haired woman sits beside them, and she reaches out to comfort the waking child, "Don't worry sweetie, it was just a guard. They will not find us here; don't be afraid."_

_The man kisses the woman's brow, "They will not get him, Kathy, I promise you." Another light passes right above their heads, and the man a__nd woman duck down to avoid being seen. The child is uncomfortable, and squirms in the man's arms, but he does not speak because mummy has told him not to. The man hands him over to the mother, "We had better move; they will be back." Kathy nods and lets her husband help her up._

It is dark outside, and the stars blink down at the couple and the child, running from shadow to shadow. Loud barks alert them that the dogs are close. The man pushes the two others down between several trashcans. He covers them with a blanket, "Stay here. I will shake them off and meet you by the Tigers'." Before the woman can protest, he is gone. Only seconds later, the dogs charge past, but they notice neither the woman, nor her boy, and the men do not hear the quiet lullaby over their own shouts and running footsteps.

See the moon is out tonight  
_Full and pale in the sky she sails_  
_She guides our steps with her newborn light_  
_And the stars are gathered to hear her tales_  
_The stars are gathered to hear her tales_

Behind the dumpsters there hides a child

_A child so fair, a child so strong_  
_With crimson eyes that shine so wild_  
_Alone with only his mother's song_  
_Alone with only his mother's song_

She intends to begin the third verse, but now the dogs are close again. She gets up and runs, holding her son close in the circle of her arms. He is becoming too heavy to carry, but tonight speed is survival, and it goes faster this way. She can see her goal now; another old house. Only those who have lived in the slum all their lives can tell these old, ruined buildings apart, but that count in their favour.

_Suddenly she becomes aware of the dead bodies in the entrance. She releases a small scream, and turns away; only to find that the men are coming closer. She runs down another street, and stops at a corner, panting slightly from the exercise. She takes a moment to look at her son and smile fondly. Then she opens a half-empty trashcan that stands in the corner and lowers him down into it, gently. Before adding the lid, she bends down and whispers; "Never forget us, Kai Hiwata__ri. We love you." And the lid comes back on, leaving the child in darkness._

There are some memories that will never leave you; like climbing out of a trashcan to find your mother lying in a pool of blood on the street. He had cried then, and silently the rain had begun to fall. The drops washed away the triangles on his cheeks, and the blood that coated his hands. Later he had been found by one of the remaining Tigers, and he had had a home with them until he was old enough to care for himself.

_He had repai__nted his cheeks with crude, black triangles, and ever since he had never cried; to make sure that they were never washed away. He had learned to paint them perfectly after much practise. That fateful night, he had gotten the strange idea that the rain had come to make sure that no one saw him crying. If the moon had sent the rain because she did not want him to shed tears, then he would not shed tears._

And even though Kai knew it had only been a child's fantasy, he had always held back his tears after that. Now he sat silently and watched as the shadows in the room grew larger. There was one thing that bothered him; no matter how he twisted his mind he could not remember his father's name. Only the last name remained of that man, and the triangles which he had given Kai after his birth. He touched his cheeks, reminded that he had yet to find a way to repaint them.

A low call from the window made Kai shift around on the bed. "Hey, Kai. Kai!" It was Rei. He was on his knees in front of the glassless window.

Kai got up from the bed and walked over, "What on earth are you doing here? Come to rub it in?"

He did not sound too enthusiastic about being visited, but Rei did not bother with witty remarks, "I came to congratulate you. That was some impressive bruises you gave Tala, and it was really brave of you to stand up to both him and Danielle like that."

Kai was surprised, but thanked the feline for the complement. They sat a while in awkward silence, but then Rei looked around sharply, "Someone is coming. I have got to go; I don't think I am allowed to visit you. Keep up the good work, Kai." And with that the black haired boy disappeared from view. Kai went back to his bed and lay down, shifting around until none of his many bruises were pressured too much, preparing to re-enter dreamland.

~*~*~*~

First he could not determine what had woken him up, but then he noticed Boris standing over him. The man had not touched him in any way, but his presence was cold and hard, making Kai nervous. "Mr. Ivanov awaits you in his study."

Kai got up silently and followed the purple haired man up the stairs and through the halls. As they passed numerous, tall windows Kai noticed that it was raining again. Boris never looked back to see if Kai was still with him. His long, green coat blew lightly behind him, and his boots hardly made a sound on the floor. In front of the double doors they stopped and Boris opened for the boy. The blue haired boy did not linger in the doorway, the way he had previously done, but strode right in, feigning carelessness.

Ivanov was once again sitting behind the desk, but when Kai and Boris came in he rose from the high-backed, leather chair. Tala was not there. "Kai, how are you feeling?"

Kai decided not to be the one to start the unpleasant part of this meeting so he answered, "I've felt worse."

Ivanov nodded, "I have spoken to Tala and heard his version of the past two days and also of today. I want to know why you cannot settle here."

Kai glared; apparently no one was interested in his version of the story, "I would have thought that it had sunk in by now. How would you feel if someone put a rope around your neck and told you to kneel?"

Ivanov did not answer. He looked at Boris, who stepped forward and said, "We have chosen our course of action. You should be grateful that the master is so merciful. From now on you will be under close supervision. No more prancing around the garden at will. Master Tala will be less tolerant of your behaviour and as a short term punishment for attacking a member of the family you will be set to do various chores for four days. If this repeats itself then there will be most dire consequences."

The next four days passed slowly. The first thing Kai had to do was apologise to Tala, which was done between clenched teeth and with a bitter taste on his tongue. After that he did his duties without complaining; bringing the redhead breakfast and performing whatever tasks that were set for him. He washed floors with Tyson, helped Tylia with the dishes and mucked the stables with Enrique. After the second day he became quieter and the rest of the household noticed this with sadness, for they could barely reach him behind his shield anymore.

It was true that Tala was less tolerant now, and Kai found, after being on the sharp side of the redhead's tongue more than once, that it was easier to simply force down his anger and do as he was told. The family did not notice that with each bow, each 'Yes, sir' and each shy question of being allowed to leave, Kai's shield got thicker. On the third day he was back in his old room, and it felt good to have Rei's familiar breathing beside him in the dark, although he said nothing to the ink haired boy.

The third day was a Friday, and Ivanov was going on a little business trip, taking Boris and Carlos with him. Kai was leaning on the wall by the gate, watching as the carriage was readied. Enrique and Boris were strapping Spark and Cyprus to their familiar places in front of the coach. Ivanov came out of the house with Carlos trailing him, and the bandana-wearing boy was carrying an old, brown suitcase. Just then, Tala rode up to the gate on Carry, his horse. Boris hurried to open the gate, keeping a sharp eye on Kai, who returned it with a glare.

Tala dismounted as soon as he was inside and greeted his father with a smile. Ivanov walked over to his son, "Just in time. We are ready to leave."

The young redhead nodded, "Say hello to Spencer for me, will you?" The man assured Tala that he would and with a last smile, Ivanov got into his seat in the coach.

Kai looked up when Boris walked over to him. No words were exchanged but the glare that passed between them was enough. Boris turned on his heel and entered the carriage after Carlos, closing the door behind them. Enrique jumped up on the driver's seat and took the reins. The carriage left a cloud of dust behind as it disappeared down the street. Tala closed the gate and turned to Kai, "You and Boris sure are articulate. Ok, looks like you will be spending the day with me then." Without further ado he led Carry towards the stables.

Tala took his time rubbing down his horse. Kai once again found the wall a convenient support. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes never left his master. Tala was humming contently, expertly grooming the animal. He cleaned its hooves, combed its mane and tail and rubbed away all the dirt and sweat on its skin. If the horse had been a cat it would have been purring.

Kai let his mind wander as he waited. A fresh wind was blowing outside, and the weather was on the edge of cool.

The slave boy snapped to attention when Tala suddenly spoke, "We are having guests tomorrow; the Daltons are coming for dinner." It took a few seconds before Kai realised what the redhead had said, but Tala just continued, "They are probably expecting us to be having mayor trouble keeping you and Rei in check; I know that the rumours have spread, so I need you to be at your very best behaviour."

Kai didn't give any indications, but he already knew that if nothing greatly important happened he would do as told. He just hoped that he would not have to serve at the table or stick around all evening under the curious and weighing gaze of the Daltons. "Is Michael coming?" he asked.

Tala looked at him in surprised, "How do you know Michael?"

"He was discussed at the market last Friday."

"Oh...yes, he is coming, and it will be my job to entertain him." Tala did not sound very enthusiastic.

Kai sighed, "So what is he like, master?" Damn, but that title came too easily to him these days.

Tala grimaced, "I don't like him, he is smug and selfish and he'll hit on anything in skirts."

The redhead looked up questioningly when Kai snorted.

"What?"

Kai looked happy as he remembered, "You didn't really hesitate before hitting on me when I came here." Tala smiled and shook his head in fond exasperation.

Later that day Tala decided to spend some time in the library, taking his slave with him. Kai had been in there on a couple of occasions as Tala sometimes ate his meals there, while drowning himself in another book. It was a small, cosy room, with a fireplace and several couches and chairs. It even had a liquor cabinet, always locked.

He stood before the large fireplace and stared at the family crest that hung above it. His master was busying himself trying to find an interesting book that he had not read yet. The Hiwatari studied the crest; it was a shield with four motives. In the top right corner there was a mountain with snow on top and blue sky around it, below it was a white square with wolf tracks crossing it, the top left square was slashed with stripes of blue, white and silver, and the last one was a picture of three wolves howling at the moon. It was beautiful.

Kai jumped when Tala spoke up from right behind him, "I used to sit in front of the fireplace and look at the mountain. I would imagine myself running with the wolves." He had a couple of books under one hand.

Kai looked at him, "It seems I am not the only one who has noticed then."

The redhead looked puzzled, "Noticed what?"

"That your family bears a strong resemblance to wolves. Ivanov has it and you have it."

"What was that, Kai?"

The slave looked uncomprehendingly at his master before realising his flaw, "Mr. Ivanov and you have it. Sorry, master."

Tala nodded.

The hours ticket slowly by in the library. Tala had curled up in a chair with his book and Kai sat on the floor in drowsy contentment. They both looked up when the door opened.

"Excuse me, sir; mind if I join you?" It was Rei, standing in the doorway. Tala smiled and waved him in. Rei came over and sat down beside Kai, "Thank you, sir. There is nothing going on anywhere today; I thought I would die from boredom."

The redhead laughed, "I know just what you mean, but I am afraid that this peace will not last; with the guest coming over tomorrow there will be all sorts of things that needs doing. You will be called away soon enough, I believe."

A while was spent in comfortable silence before Tala picked up the conversation again, "How are things going with Danielle, Rei? You are hanging in there?"

The feline did a mock faint, "Your darling little sister continues to make my life a living hell, but I am getting used to her. I never thought it would happen, but I am learning to live with that little monster. Still I do not envy you your years in her presence."

Kai was shocked at Rei's free tongue; how could he say such things about Danielle in front of Tala? Wasn't he afraid of angering the young Ivanov? But the redhead just laughed along with the slave. The two were similarly playful and frank in nature, and they seemed to get along really well. Still Kai did not envy what they had, the way he thought he would.

As he looked at them he had to wonder; who did he like the most? Rei was exotic, kind and smart, and Kai could not help but be attracted to him. Tala was confident, proud, intelligent and very handsome. Two jewels. And he wasn't sure if he could have either. When had he first discovered how much he liked them both? Rei had fascinated him from the start, and after their kiss in the closet he had sort of settled with the fact that he wanted the feline. While Tala had always been attractive, it was only recently that Kai had found himself wishing to please his master, wanting him to be proud of his slave. He had never had this kind of feelings before.

Kai's attention was caught when Rei asked Tala, "And how are you doing? Is Kai behaving ok?"

The redhead gave Kai's hair a playful tug, "There are times when I have to wonder if this is the same Kai that came here a week ago, but then he gives me that wonderful, icy glare of his and I realise that he is still his old self."

Rei laughed at the fond tone, but Kai was not really listening because Tala's hand hadn't left his hair yet, and the feeling of long finger that combed through his blue tresses was sort of distracting. He rested his head on the side of the chair and closed his eyes. The voices of his two companions became a quiet buzz and he was slowly sinking into the warm darkness of sleep, but before he could slip away the door went up again and Judy entered.

"Excuse me, master Tala, but could I borrow Rei and Kai for a while?"

The redhead sat up, "Why of course, Judy. There is so much to do and here I am, occupying their time. Go on guys; you have work waiting for you." Kai got up reluctantly, and followed Judy out. He cast a glance behind him and Tala gave him a smile. It was strange how the whole world seemed slightly pink around the edges after that.

So Kai and Rei spent the next part of the day around the house, doing anything that needed to be done. They polished the silverware, dusted every corner they could find, they decorated tables and even helped Enrique wash the entire carriage. It was exhausting work, but also fun, especially when Rei poured a bucket of water over Kai's head, and the blue haired boy tried to repeat the favour but hit Enrique. From there on things turned rather wet. Finally done, the two teens stumbled into bed, falling asleep instantly.

(Judin's notes: Tala was right about one thing; this peace can't last…)


	13. Feathers on a broken back

Another Day

Chapter 13

_Feathers on a broken back_

The next morning Kai and Rei were woken up by a very upset Judy. "Boys, get up and get dressed! We're wanted outside." It took a few seconds before the two sleepyheads managed to understand that not everything was what it was supposed to be, but when they did they got dressed and were on their way down the stairs in no time.

They came outside to find the entire household gathered in one place. Everyone was looking around in shock and the two teens also stopped and tried to take in the extent of the chaos that had been wrecked on the beautiful property. The garden was a complete mess; there were feathers everywhere and the birds were all running around, trampling the flowers and digging up the grass. The bird cage bore no visible signs of damage, but the door was open wide.

Lady Sarah had obviously just awoken for she was still wearing a white silk nightgown and a night-bonnet. She looked pale and shocked, one hand covering her mouth as she looked around at her garden. Ivanov was furious. Steve seemed to be on the verge of pulling his hair out, and Ian was chasing the birds around, trying to capture them and cursing as they darted away from him. Kai noticed that all the others seemed shocked apart from Boris, who looked expressionless as usual, and Carlos, who was standing behind Boris with an unreadable expression that was too close to smugness for Kai's comfort.

"Who is responsible for this?" Ivanov's voice boomed, making everyone jump. Beneath the bushy eyebrows his brown eyes shone with danger, just like Tala's did right before he lashed out at someone. The lord of the house looked around, hoping to make someone confess by the power of his glare alone.

Steve spoke up timidly, "The cage door was opened with the key, sir; I found the padlock on the ground with the key still in it, and there are no signs of a break in."

Ivanov turned to him, "So only someone who had access to the key could have done it."

Steve nodded confirmatively, "But only I and Ian knew where the key was, sir. We have kept it hidden." Ian came back then, panting and sweating and empty handed. He looked ready to drop.

'_Man, does Steve even realise how deeply he is digging his grave?_' Kai thought.

And indeed, Ivanov's gaze had turned triumphant, "So one of you did it!"

Ian looked alarmed, "Of course not, sir!"

Ivanov raised an eyebrow, "But only you knew where the key was."

The little gardener nodded, "Yes, but we wouldn't do it. What would that gain us? We have to gather the birds and clean up the garden; this will take me and Steve forever to fix! Why would we give ourselves so much work?"

Steve nodded, and shot in, "Besides; we know how much the birds matter to Lady Sarah," he turned and gave her a respectful nod. She returned it with a grateful, though hesitant smile. Steve continued, "Yeah. Just the other day I was telling Kai here just how important they were; I told him I did, that he had to promise never to tell anyone where the key was because Lady Sarah loves her birds and we can't let anything happen to them..." He trailed of when he realised that no one was looking at him anymore.

Kai hadn't thought about it. He hadn't thought about it at all. There were three people who knew where the key was hidden; Steve, Ian and him. And everyone was looking at him with wide eyes. _'Thank you Steve; you dig your own grave and place me in it. And I have a feeling that you will get lots of help filling up the whole.'_

*~*~*

It was working! Kai was backed into a corner with no escape, and soon he would be punished for his crime. The trap had worked perfectly. Oh, he longed to hear the boy's sweet screams echo over the Ivanov mansion, forever to be remembered by the silent walls. He would have his revenge. Kai was currently inside, locked up in his room, waiting for Tala to decide his punishment. It would be harsh, as the crime was serious. They had no idea that they would be beating Kai for two crimes. Perhaps this would teach him. He would learn to regret ever coming here.

"Are you going to stand there all day?"

He hurried to follow Boris into the stables. Soon now, very soon.

~*~*~

Oscar Ivanov was pacing the length of his study. Tala stood silently in the middle of the room, looking disappointed and indecisive. In the end he threw up his hands with a frustrated exclamation, "I just can't believe he would do such a thing! I seriously thought he had improved. I guess he was just biding his time to strike again. He must have wanted revenge."

Ivanov stopped pacing and looked at his son, "Yes, and now you must find him a short term punishment fit for his crime. Your mother is in her room. She needed to lie down for a while. Why anyone would hurt her is beyond me." He shook his head and resumed his pacing. He loved his wife dearly, and it had hurt him greatly to see her so upset.

A while passed in silence before Tala spoke again, "You said he got seventeen whips for the theft, and that seemed to be his limit. I'll make it ten then, but I will have Boris use the long-whip." He looked to his father for an opinion.

Ivanov nodded, "That would do."

Although Ivanov was not fond of violence, he would not hesitate to punish a slave that went out of order, but he still remembered the day when he had first met Kai, and the bone-chilling screams that had echoed in his ears so long after the boy was released from the block. But he was a man with a position to uphold, and could not be seen stumbling, so he stayed firm and held with Tala in his decision, placing a comforting hand on his son's shoulder when the young man realised fully what it meant to place such a verdict on another person, and his eyes filled with doubt.

They left the dark study together.

*~*~*

Everyone was called back outside, and they gathered around the stables. Kai was hauled out by Eddie and Steve, who were both looking away from him, doing their duty without much enthusiasm. The look on the boy's face was pure fear. His shield was gone. He scrambled, struggled and scratched, but it didn't help at all and he was tied with his arms around a thick, rough pole that held up a part of the stables. His arms went almost all the way around the support, and he was pressed tightly up to it.

Kai felt sick and weak and when his legs gave away he simply let himself dump onto the ground. He hugged the pole and turned his head as best he could, needing to catch someone's eyes, anyone who might understand, but no one would look at him.

"Please! I am innocent, I swear! Don't do this Tala! Master!"

Rei stood beside Enrique, feeling nauseated. No one seemed to be looking forward to this. Lady Sarah had come out of her room to watch, and her expression was one of stone. Tala's face was white; he couldn't be very used to this, but no one would be spared the sight. Kai's punishment was going to be an example for everyone.

Boris came out of the stables with a long, black whip coiled in one hand, and a shorter and thicker whip in the other. His face was blank, and Rei understood suddenly why the man was so distant and cold; this was his job, and being close to his victims would make it twice as hard. Still he could not quite forgive the man when the first blow fell.

A flash of pain and suddenly Kai was back at the market, with the sun shining unmercifully and the crowd cheering for more. _'But this time I won't scream. They won't get me! I'll show Rei I can do this just as well as he can.'_ So he kept his lips firmly pressed together, while Boris used the short whip to torment him.

Five blows, and Kai was beginning to give in to the string of pleas that wanted to force its way out of him. But Boris put the whip down now, and stepped back. The slave twisted around to see what was going on. Was it over already? He hadn't been informed of the quantity of his punishment, but he couldn't believe that the Ivanov's were that soft.

His temporary relief turned to sudden horror when Boris picked up the long-whip and uncoiled it.

"No!"

For a moment Boris looked at Kai, and the boy saw regret in his eyes, but then the moment passed and the man was back on duty.

The sudden fire across his back made Kai scream. Nothing he did or thought could keep the screams down this time. He closed his eyes hard, and red light flashed behind his eyelids as another strike fell. Tears welled up in his eyes. He had no triangles to protect him now, no gentle hands that would stop the pain and wake him up from this nightmare. They didn't believe him. Not one of them.

Kai dug his fingertips into the rough wood, feeling the skin tear and blood run over his hands. Splinters logged themselves under his nails. He let go for a moment and his entire world spun around like a mad wheel. He wobbled, but another strike drove him forward to clutch at the pole again.

Each strike sliced neatly into his back. He feeling of blood running down his skin was hauntingly familiar. Kai got just enough room between the blows to finish one scream before another pressed its way out of his throat. It was forced, and breathing became harder and harder with each one. Haze was filling his vision and his head.

'_Mother__! Please don't let them do this to me!' _

Enrique had grabbed a hold of Rei's arm, and he was hanging on for dear life. Rei himself couldn't take his eyes of the horror, _'Kai stop screaming, God, stop it Kai, don't scream, don't scream, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'_

Enrique fell down beside him, clutching the feline's leg and sobbing uncontrollably. The blonde was no hardened street-kid, and he had never seen this kind of pain before. It was tearing him up. And somehow, in his mind, Kai's screams was mixing with Oliver's. _'How can they do this? Why didn't I stop them? Why didn't I save him?'_

Tala felt like his own legs would give away any time. No one had ever been so heavily punished in the Ivanov household before. _'I sentenced him. This is my fault!' _He had the power to make it stop, but he couldn't, he…if he did then he would loose all respect from the servants, and from his parents. He had to endure this.

"Tala!!"

Kai's scream hurt his heart until he thought it would burst. _'Forgive me.'_

Kai closed his eyes and braced himself for another strike, but none came. Was it over? The fire on his back was indescribable. It stung and burned until he thought he would go mad with it. He gasped through his tears, and felt for the first time how his bare chest and stomach were scraped from the contact with the pole.

Eddie and Steve released him from the ropes, but he could not stand on his own. He wished to god that the others would leave instead of just standing there, watching as he stumbled away with the two men keeping him on his feet. Their touch on his arms burned in a completely different way and he longed to shake them off and scream at them for letting him go through this. Had his throat not been so sore and his knees so soft, he might have.

In his room he collapsed onto the bed and the two men left. Eddie promised to come back soon; he just had to get some water and bandages. Kai lay alone on his bed for a while, sobbing into the pillow. He couldn't seem to stop. It was so unfair. He hadn't done it. As the tears finally let him go, he caught himself wondering if it was raining now.

Eddie came back with a washbasin, a towel and some bandages. He also had a sort of lotion in a small tube. Judy came after him, closing the door quietly. Kai lay curled up, facing the wall and they could see him tense as they approached the bed.

"Kai, we need to clean your back and get it bandaged." Judy spoke gently, and put a hand on his arm.

He tensed even more and she could see the look of pain that crossed his features, but he did nothing to stop her. Eddie helped roll him onto his stomach. Fresh blood was still running down his sides and ruining the sheets, plus his waistband which was also soaked. The boy remained quiet and passive, his hands resting on the pillow next to his head.

"Kai, what did you do to your hands?" Judy had noticed the bleeding fingertips and felt even more miserable than before. Had he truly deserved this?

Kai tried not to feel anything as Eddie carefully washed his back. The same tenderness was there, but this time it only hurt. The lotion was applied, and it cooled down the throbbing welts and soothed some of the immediate pain, but he was not about to thank them for it. He sat up when he was told to sit up, and they bandaged his back. He had just been able to remove the previous bandages, but the whip had opened some of the old wounds as well, so now he had to start all over again. Lastly Judy tried to wash his face, which was tearstained and red, but he turned away from her, and she did not try again.

Kai didn't know if he wanted them to leave him alone or if he wanted them to stay, but he made no objections as they rose. Still there was one thing that he had to know. His voice was horse and raw, but he spoke, looking properly at them both for the first time, "Will the dinner be cancelled?" Judy nodded sadly. Kai lay back down, wondering how everything could have gone so wrong over night.

~*~*~

Rei had volunteered to help the poor gardeners round up the birds again, and he was currently dragging a large peacock along by the neck, trying to avoid its sharp beak and claws. He managed to get the bird back in the cage with only a few minor scratches. Ian relocked the cage and stood for a moment looking at the mess that had once been a garden. Steve had already begun sweeping up the feathers that covered everything.

Rei sighed. "I wonder who did this. I wonder why," he said, mostly to himself.

Ian stirred beside him, "You don't think Kai did it?" He sounded surprised.

Rei shook his head, "No. He wouldn't have. I have no idea who actually did it, though." He left the green-haired boy behind and walked towards the house. He knew where he was heading, but not why.

The library was dark. The lights were off and the hearth was cold. Tala sat curled up in the same chair as yesterday, with one hand hanging limp over the side of the chair and a book lying forgotten on the floor. His head was resting on his arms. Rei stood in the doorway and studied the redhead. Then he cleared his throat.

Tala sat up, "Oh, Rei! Hi, come in."

The slave was more tentative now, and he could feel Kai's presence standing like a wall between them. This was not going to be easy. He sat down on the floor again, the same spot as last time. For a while awkward silence reigned.

"How is he?" Tala spoke at last.

Rei just shook his head, "I haven't seen him. Judy said that we had better let him be alone for while."

Tala sighed, "I guess I should go see him. I know now that a master has duties to his slave just as much as the slave has duties to his master. I think I was too hard on him." The solemn mood was nearly broken when Tala hiccupped.

"No. If he deliberately committed this crime to hurt you and your family then the punishment was right," Rei answered.

The redhead raised an eyebrow, "You are implying that he did not?"

The feline nodded, "I guess I am."

Tala looked sceptical, "Why?"

But this time Rei had no answer. He just knew. But he had no words to explain his feelings to anyone else. For a while they resumed the silence. Then the young Ivanov managed to catch Rei completely off guard.

"He is kind of handsome isn't he?" Rei felt suddenly uncomfortable, but Tala continued without noticing, "And it is not just his looks that make him that way; he has this fire in his eyes, you know, and this special way of standing."

Rei stared at the redhead, for then to look away in embarrassment; he had noticed the same things himself. He remembered the incident in the closet and unconsciously licked his lips.

Suddenly he caught sight of something, "Tala, what have you done!" He didn't even realise that he had dropped the title as he rushed over to the open liquor cabinet. The door was ajar, two bottles stood on the floor and a glass lay tipped over beside them. Rei picked up a bottle and found it open.

He turned with the bottle still in hand when Tala spoke up behind him, "Oh, good idea; mine is empty." He was cradling a glass similar to the one on the floor, but Rei hadn't seen it from where he had been seated. Luckily only one bottle was open, it was half empty though, and Rei found it best to get the young man to bed. He was a bit unsteady so the slave had to support him all the way up to his room.

Rei mentally cursed his luck when they came to the top of the stairs and found Lady Sarah on her way towards them. As soon as she saw her swaying son she ran over, and her nose wrinkled up in distaste. "What on earth have you been doing?" She asked her son.

"Drinking," Rei answered flatly, forgetting his manners.

The Lady frowned disapprovingly at him as if it was his fault that Tala was drunk. She bade him take her son to his room, "I'll call for Eddie. After that you may leave."

Rei watched her as she walked down the stairs, "My Lady?" He was not sure what he wanted to say, but it was so upsetting to see her trying to shield herself behind anger, especially because she was far from good at it. She turned and gave him a questioning look. He cleared his throat, "I don't think he meant to hurt you." Her gaze went from angry to sad, and Rei wondered when Kai's name had become so unnecessary.


	14. Tyger, Tyger

Another Day

Chapter 14

_Tyger, Tyger_

Rei closed the door to Tala's room. Eddie had simply put the redhead to bed, stating that apart from a light headache the young master would be fine. Soft snores could be heard through the door. Eddie had been puzzled though; it was most unusual for Lady Sarah to call him up for something as small as this. She should have recognised the situation and put her child to bed on her own; she loved to care for her son and daughter that way, and she still tucked Adria in at night. And she wasn't the only one acting strange; Tala had hardly ever touched alcohol before. "Everyone is acting weird today," he had said with a shake of his head.

Now Rei stood with his hand still on the handle and listened to the other slave's fading steps. '_Kai is turning us all on our heads and he doesn't even know it.'_ He turned to look at the door to his own room, but decided against going in; Kai was probably sleeping, and if he wasn't then what would Rei say to him? _'Hey, Kai, I feel horrible for not defending you yesterday, can I kiss you again?'_ Rei resisted the urge to hit his head on the door; it would probably wake up Tala._ 'Me and my big brain.'_

The kitchen was silent. For once there was no one there. Rei stood indecisive at first, but the house seemed suddenly cold to him and so he went outside. Tyson and Max were doing the last of the feather-sweeping in the sunlight. Everyone had wanted to help Steve and Ian, who were going to have to replant most of the garden. The two gardeners were over by the wall, cleaning up the torn ivy. Some of the birds had managed to get to the top of the wall, but they had been caught and brought back inside. Judy was sitting with Adria on a bench. Everyone was quiet, apart from the odd word to help the work along. Rei went over to the women on the bench. Since he came here he had found a good friend in Adria. She was the sweetest child one could imagine.

"Hey, angel! You want to go see if we can ride one of the horses?" Rei called.

Adria jumped off the bench and ran over to him, "That would be great!" She looked to Judy for permission, and the woman nodded. Together they set out for the stable.

They didn't see anyone in there at first. "Maybe Enrique is inside," Adria said.

They both jumped at the sudden voice that spoke up from the shadows, "I'm over here." Suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, the blonde had popped up. He had been sitting beside Carry, inside the stall.

"Enrique, we didn't see you," Rei said.

"Sorry," Enrique answered, "This happens all the time when I sit in here."

Adria hurried over to the stall, and reached out to pet Carry. She laughed at Rei's confusion, "This place is great for playing hide and seek. You can see everyone who is coming in, but they can't see you, and Carry never gives you away."

Rei leaned on the wall, shaking his head in amusement, but then his hand hit an odd angle; a hole! Rei turned around and studied it, "So this is where the key was kept. Ian told me it was in here somewhere." The little door was open. The key was not there. Steve must have it still.

Enrique came over, "Wow. Right under my nose! But then this corner is always laid in shadow." They stared at it. "You think he'll be ok?" Enrique asked after a moment.

Rei sighed, "On the outside, yes, on the inside…I can't tell." Why did everyone ask him that anyway? Why not just ask Kai? _'Because they all feel guilty and they are afraid of what he will answer.'_ His mind wasn't cooperating with him today.

Adria looked sad as well. "I don't think Kai meant to be mean." She sounded so hopeful.

Rei lifted her up into the air, she was heavy, she was ten years old after all, but he didn't mind. "I am certain he didn't mean to," he assured her.

Hours later, Rei entered his room silently. Kai was lying with his face to the wall, away from Rei. Even in the darkness he could see that the bandages were coloured red. The feline tiptoed over to Kai and made sure that he was asleep. His face was peaceful now, and he seemed young and innocent without his usual serious expression.

The feline had stayed outside with Enrique and Adria for as long as he could, but in the end he had been forced to face the plain, white door to his room. Today had begun terribly fast and then ended equally slow. It seemed forever since the staff had been forced to endure Kai's punishment and yet Rei remembered it so vividly. _'You really didn't do it, did you?'_ He thought, and let his fingers touch the other boy's blue tresses before he turned to his own bed. Tomorrow would see things right. At least he hoped so.

*~*~*

Rei buttoned up his shirt and cast one last look at the sleeping Kai before heading out. He had woken up to the ringing of bells, and realised that it wasn't a part of his dream after all, and that Danielle wanted to see him. Kai had remained fast asleep, the lucky idiot.

The corridor was empty. It was still early, but the rest of the family would soon be waking and calling for their breakfast. Rei suspected that Tylia was already busy in the kitchen downstairs, and Boris had been gone when Rei passed his bed. The man was always awake way before everyone else, but whether he actually had anything specific to do in these early hours Rei didn't know. Judy would be up soon too. It really wasn't fair; the personal servants had to get up at all sorts of horrible times just because their masters were morning persons. Rei was not a morning person.

The door to Danielle's room was very plain. Who could have guessed what dangers hid behind the light brown wood? He took a deep breath, knocked, and entered when he was called. Danielle was sitting in front of her mirror, which was attached to a small desk with drawers on both sides. In front of her lay several brushes and hairpins and other necessary items. "Took you long enough," she said impatiently. Rei didn't answer. He was used to her moods by now.

He took up the hardest brush and began fixing her hair. He had managed to make her abandon her project of tampering with his pride and joy, and felt a bit safer now. She had long, brown hair, which shone as he brushed out all the tangles. She chatted happily while he combed her tresses, first with the hard brush and then with a softer one. He didn't really listen before his ears caught some interesting words.

"It is really too bad that the dinner had to be cancelled. It would have been a perfect opportunity to show of my new dress, but I guess I can wait for the party." She was leaning her head on her hands, and looking at herself in the mirror, admiringly. He had to smile at her.

Rei put down the brush and began to braid her hair. "What party?" He asked.

She turned, and looked at him, making him loose his hold on her hair. Now he had to begin anew, but she didn't notice, "You don't know? Every year the McGregors hold a big party, and we are always invited. It is a few weeks from now. There will be lots of people coming, all sorts of fine families, and you will have to come with me of course; many people bring their servants along." Rei tied off the braid with a white band that fit her dress. She dressed herself, and would never let him sit by her bath, which he was more than happy about.

"Oh," was all he answered.

A little while later Rei was downstairs, having just finished his breakfast. Danielle hadn't wanted hers on the bed today, so he didn't have to serve her. Before he could slip off somewhere though, Tylia grabbed a hold of him, "Rei, could you do me a favour?" He nodded; sure he could. The cook handed him a tray with a white cloth over. It smelled faintly of newly baked bread, "Could you take this up to Kai? He hasn't been allowed out of bed yet, poor thing."

Rei took the tray. He walked up the stairs with some difficulty, before heading for the door to his own room, but then a voice spoke up behind him, "Where are you going with that tray?"

Rei turned in surprise when he recognised Carlos voice. "What do you care, Carlos?"

The other boy was coming down from the third floor, looking his usual smug self, and Rei couldn't help but shiver at the open malice that shone in his eyes. _'Something is seriously wrong with that guy,'_ he thought. Carlos walked slowly over to the feline, who felt suddenly vulnerable with both hands busy holding the tray.

"Well? Where are you going?"

Rei remembered Kai's reaction to Carlos earlier, and went for a lie, "It's for Danielle."

But the other boy just laughed, "She is eating with the family today. You are bringing that to the little criminal, aren't you?"

The feline's eyes narrowed, "He isn't a criminal, Carlos."

The black haired boy began to circle Rei slowly, "Isn't he? So you don't think he let out the birds just to get even with Tala?"

Rei was surprised; what was Tala's name doing alone in that sentence? "No, I don't," he answered. A sudden cloud of anger shadowed Carlos' face and before Rei could stop him he hit the tray hard from beneath, making it fly out of Rei's hands and spill onto the carpet.

"What did you do that for?" Rei shouted, but the other boy just laughed again before walking away. The feline stood behind, looking down at the ruined food.

He jumped a mile when a new voice came from behind him, "What is going on here?" Rei turned around and found Lady Sarah standing there, looking curious. She seemed to be back to her old self.

He hurried to apologise, "I am sorry, my Lady. I…tripped."

She smiled with something like...was that relief? "Don't worry. We'll get it cleaned up and you can get another tray." Of course, by "we" she meant him and the servant that she would call for. Antonio came from the kitchen with a new tray, and set about cleaning up the old while Rei completed his original task.

Before he could enter his room, however, Lady Sarah called for him, "Come by the painting room afterwards, alright?"

He nodded, and slipped into his own room before anyone else could interrupt him. As he closed the door he realised that she had had to see what Carlos had done, but she hadn't said anything about it, or called on Rei for his lie. That was odd.

Kai was sitting up in the bed, seemingly just about to put on his shirt, when Rei came in. The injured boy looked up in surprise, clearly not wishing to be found awake like this. Rei put the tray on the nightstand between their beds, "You weren't planning on going out, were you?"

Kai looked at the shirt, "So what if I did?"

Rei wasn't bothered by the angry tone; Kai had every right in the world to be angry and the feline knew that it wasn't truly directed at him. "You are still weak, and there is no way Judy would allow you to be outside yet. You would be ushered right back to bed," he said.

The word 'weak' seemed to sting especially for the blue haired boy, "I don't care. I want to go outside, and you can't stop me."

Rei smiled at the almost sullen tone in Kai's voice, "Tala could stop you. And Steve would just put you under one arm and carry you back upstairs. Why don't you eat your breakfast, you mule. You have no idea how much trouble I went through to get it to you."

Kai gave him a curious look, but picked up a slice of bread and the butterknife. Rei smiled at him, and since he felt a bit daring he pressed a quick kiss to Kai's cheek before he left. If he had looked back he would have seen Kai sitting very still on the bed, with wide eyes and a forgotten slice of bread in his hand.

*~*~*

The painting room's walls and ceiling were white. There was a long table along one wall, and many colourful paintings were propped there. A low chair stood in front of an easel with a half finished painting of a vase of flowers. The vase stood on another low table. Lady Sarah was studying the vase when he entered, but she turned to greet him, "Hello, Rei."

He gave her a small bow, "You wanted to see me, my Lady."

She nodded, "Yes, I did. Why don't you sit down over there for a while? I will soon be done here, and then we can talk."

Rei went over to a three-legged stool and sat down, watching her quietly. She painted for a while and he had to admire the ease in which she captured the image of the vase. He could never have done it after her, he knew that. After a while she put the brush down. Then she turned to Rei and gestured for him to follow.

They left the painting room and walked down the hall. The library was empty, and Lady Sarah told him to take a seat in one of the chairs. She sat down on the couch. The library seemed to be the place to sit down and chat, and Rei guessed that this was where the guests were entertained as well. The seat was much softer than he was used to, and he looked longingly at the floor, but didn't dare to go against her.

He watched the lady and waited for her to open the conversation. She seemed to be looking for the right words. "You have been here with us for more than a week now, Rei. Are you happy here?"

The question took him aback, but he answered truthfully, "Yes, my Lady. I can't say that I am not."

She nodded in understanding. "You don't miss your home, then?"

Rei grimaced, "I do, but I've found new friends here, and security."

She smiled, "What about my daughter? Are you happy with her?"

Now what to answer? He had to be careful, "She is alright. We get along just fine."

Lady Sarah looked knowingly at him, "You don't need to hold back, Rei. I invited you to speak your mind."

Still he hesitated, for no matter what she said he still was a servant, and there were always things one couldn't say in that position. "Well," he began, "she if a bit different."

Lady Sarah tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, "What do you mean?"

"She is…" Rei realised that he was going to have to say the truth, there was no apparent way around it, "You are a very kind person and Mr. Ivanov is a strict, but just man, but Lady Danielle doesn't seem to have inherited any of those qualities. She is a spoiled brat." There, he had said it.

It was her turn to make a move, but Lady Sarah didn't seem angry; she was smiling in recognition, "I know that my daughter can be horrible at times, and she has been spoiled, that is for sure, but you must also remember that she is only twelve years old and has a lot to learn about manners. We were hoping you would have a good influence on her, and I think you have."

Rei wondered if she really meant it or if she was just trying to disarm him, "Thank you, my Lady."

She continued, "In truth, I think she chooses to act spoiled, even when she isn't inclined to by her nature, and you will find that she has a sense of justice in her. It just needs a good opportunity to blossom." The last thing she said before giving Rei permission to leave was, "I also wanted to thank you for helping my son yesterday. I know I seemed ungrateful, but I do appreciate your effort."

He bowed again, "You had had a stressful day, my Lady. Think nothing of it."

Rei went outside. He needed some fresh air and a bright sun to cheer him up. The air was fresh enough, and it was a bright day although the sun was hidden behind large white clouds. Rei walked around the house. The west side of the house was where the birds and the stables were located, and the east side wasn't much used it seemed, but now Rei headed there, simply to stretch his legs. As he turned the corner he saw Tala, and stopped. The redhead was playing with his large, shaggy dog. He tossed a stick and the canine fetched it. As he brought it back Tala awarded him enthusiastically; talking to him and running his hands through his long fur. He tossed the stick again, and for a horrifying moment Rei imagined Kai fetching sticks at Tala's command.

Suddenly Tala looked his way, and an uncomfortable expression spread on his face, but then he squared his shoulders and waved Rei over. The slave approached him carefully, not liking the dog very much. It seemed quite harmless at a distance, but he, just like Kai, associated dogs with cops and didn't have many pleasant memories about them. Tala either didn't notice or didn't care; he just tossed the stick again and watched the dog happily bound after it.

They stood in silence for a moment, but finally the master spoke, "I…wanted to thank you, Rei…for yesterday." He might have said, "For getting me to bed." But that would have been a bit too humiliating. It wasn't a slave's place to question his master, but that didn't mean they couldn't disapprove.

Rei tried to brush it off, but Tala continued, "No, really, thanks. And…well. I remember, you see…pretty much all of it, and…I know I said some things to you, that perhaps I shouldn't have said." He made a halting progress, but Rei was patient, and waited for Tala to find his courage. Rei couldn't remember the redhead saying anything offensive to him, so what was bothering him so?

"I hope…" Tala closed his eyes for a moment and blurted out, "I hope you haven't told Kai what I told you about him yesterday." The slave needed a few moments to get over the shock. So that was it. Tala turned to him fully and grabbed his jacket, "You didn't tell him? Did you?"

Rei hurried to assure him, "Of course I didn't. It wasn't my place to." Not to mention that he would rather that Kai didn't know how Tala felt about him.

Tala let go with a sigh of relief. "I can't let him hear that. It's not that I didn't mean it, but…I've got a girlfriend now." He looked anxiously at Rei, fearing a negative reaction.

The feline raised an eyebrow, "When did you get a girlfriend, sir?"

Tala smiled a little, "Her name is Erica. She is wonderful. We've been together for quite long, but she lives sort of far off and we have been wondering whether to break it off because of that. The last week I have been waiting for a letter from her, making the final decision, but she wanted to stay with me, and I am glad for that. I think I love her."

Rei nodded in understanding, but there was still one problem, "I wonder how Kai will feel about that."

Tala shrugged, "It will hardly affect him. He won't care." It was the same as always; Rei saw only how Kai cared about Tala, while Tala saw only how Kai was attracted to Rei. The feline didn't say anything more about it.

He and Tala hadn't really gotten to know each other before the fourth day after the new slaves arrived at the Ivanov mansion. They had met in the hall, and Tala had asked if Rei would walk with him. They talked and found that they had a lot in common. Like an interest in Kai. Rei tried to suppress the flutter of hope that made his stomach tickle. The way was clear now, no more Tala to block his way. _'Oh, don't think like that! Kai doesn't even notice me anyway.'_

The dog returned with the stick, and he went over to Rei and sniffed his hand curiously. Rei jumped back in fright and Tala laughed, "You don't like dogs, Rei?"

The slave shook his head, "They bite."

The redhead bent down and petted the animal, "Assler doesn't bite unless I tell him to. Don't worry." The two boys stayed out in the garden for a while, and Tala tried to help Rei get over his fear of canines. The sky darkened slowly, and eventually rain began to fall. It was lunch time by then, so Rei and Tala went inside, leaving the bad weather behind. A strong wind began to blow over the garden.


	15. The way of trouble

Another Day

Chapter 15

_The way of trouble_

The days passed, and the household was slowly going back to normal. Kai argued his way out of bed on Tuesday, but he kept to himself most of the time, and Rei noticed how the silence in a room would always turn awkward when Kai came in.

Tala struggled with his guilt still, and the first meeting between him and Kai didn't go too well. The redhead had realised that he couldn't avoid Kai any longer and so he had called for him in the morning, meaning to ask for breakfast.

Kai knocked on the door and entered after getting permission. Tala couldn't seem to kill the nervousness that had materialised in his stomach. "Kai. Um…breakfast. Could you…um, yeah, breakfast."

Kai watched him with dull eyes, but he didn't ask for clarification, "Yes, master."

Tala watched in disappointment as the boy left. _'Man, I blew it,' _he thought.

A few minutes later Kai came back up with a tray. He put it down on the bed beside Tala, and stepped back, bowing his head in respect. Tala saw right through his act, though, it was obvious that Kai was aching to throw the entire breakfast in his face, and the redhead wouldn't really have minded.

"Kai…" he sat up in his bed, feeling suddenly eager. This had to stop. "We have to talk. I-" He was interrupted before he could get any further.

"I'll be taking my leave, master, unless there is anything else you want me to do." The slave let no emotion enter his voice, but there was finality in it.

Tala hesitated. With a simple no he could keep Kai here, and make him listen. He might even be able to get a good response from him. But, somehow, he couldn't.

"…Alright. You may leave."

Kai turned on his heel, and the redhead fell back on the bed, feeling lost.

*~*~*

On Thursday Rei was playing with Adria in the garden. Adria had brought her porcelain doll outside, the one that Tala had given to her, and she sat with her legs crossed and the doll on her lap, admiring her curly hair and the beautiful dress. Rei sat beside her, content just to rest and take in the scenery. The garden was still not finished, but it had been cleaned up, and empty flowerbeds were the only visible sign that there had ever been a crime committed here.

Tala had tried his best to put the whole incident behind him, but his relationship with Kai was still uncomfortable. Kai spoke in as few words as possible and did all he was asked to do without blinking. Tala and Rei watched from afar how he built up a wall between himself and the world.

They took comfort in being able to share their worry with each other, and Tala had told Rei about Wednesday morning; when he had tried to talk to Kai, but failed. The feline found that he too wished that the other slave had become angry. He wished that Kai had shut himself in his room and refused to listen to Tala's orders. Even a temper tantrum was better than this.

He had tried to snap Kai out of his apathy, talking to him, teasing him, trying to engage him in a game of something, but it was hopeless. He kept replaying the kiss in the closet in his head and he just couldn't understand how this could be the same Kai. From a Kai who was warm and shy beneath him in the dark to a Kai who turned away without reply. It just wasn't right, and Rei hated it. But what could get the slave to go back to his old rebelling self?


	16. The Party I

Another Day

Chapter 16

_The Party I_

The carriage ride was long. Kai sat by the window, with Tala on his left side and Ivanov opposite him. Beside the big man sat his wife with Adria next to her. Danielle sat beside her brother and Rei came after that. Boris was riding on a horse behind the carriage. Kai sighed and stared at the houses that passed. His orders were to stay with Tala unless told otherwise and all in all it would probably be a completely dull party. From what he had heard all people did was stand around, drink tea and talk.

Rei was wearing an orange and yellow vest today, over black shirt and pants. His soft hair had been combed until it shone and tied in a long braid with an orange band. Kai was wearing grey pants and a blue jacket. The colours fitted his mood well, but they had been chosen to fit his hair. Kai had never been one to care what he looked like, and fussing over what to wear usually made him dizzy; he wasn't used to having more than one shirt and one pair of pants.

Adria wore a blue dress with frills on the bottom and on the shoulders. Danielle was wearing a yellow dress, and had yellow ribbons in her hair. Lady Sarah always made sure that both of the girls looked their best. Lady Sarah herself wore another green dress with her red hair cascading down her back.

Tala was wearing a red tunic and white pants with red stripes on the side. Kai thought that Tala looked handsome, but so did Rei. It was all so confusing; he wanted Tala, badly, but couldn't stand him at the same time. Rei on the other hand made him feel so strange inside, like something had awoken in him that had been lying in wait since he was born, and it stirred every time the feline smiled at him. It was fragile, and threatened especially by his desire for the black haired boy. Kai hoped he would figure out where his heart lay soon, before it was torn in two.

He was hurting more than ever over his choice now. He still wanted them both, but every time he saw Tala he was reminded of his punishment. He had felt betrayed by his master, but Tala hadn't done anything else than what he thought was right. So when Kai's anger eventually arose and storm within him he pushed it down and kept it out of sight. If they wanted him to be good then he would be good. He knew he was hurting everyone with this tactic, but he couldn't stop thinking of the way they had all turned his back on him and deemed him a crook before he had gotten a chance to defend himself.

*~*~*

The McGregor mansion was, if possible, even bigger than the Ivanov mansion. It stood a bit away from the more crowded areas, and the closest neighbours lived a couple of hundred metres down the road. The house was brown with a black roof and there were several other buildings around it. They also had a high brick wall that went all around their land. Kai wondered what all those smaller houses were for. He recognised one of them as a stable, but others looked like there could be humans living in them. Perhaps they were for the staff. It had to be big then, which seemed logical when considering the size of the house and property.

It seemed that most of the guests had already arrived and many came over to greet the incoming family. A stiffly clad servant opened the door and helped Lady Sarah out. Then Danielle and Tala came and at last Ivanov himself stepped down and took a deep breath, glad to be out of the crowded carriage. The slaves got out behind him, and the coach was driven away to be parked by Enrique. Kai and Rei remained in the background, watching as the Ivanovs greeted their friends.

The adults traded handshakes, while sentences like, "My how you have grown little lady. You will be as tall and fair as your mother one day," and, "Such a strapping young man. Got your eye on a pretty girl or two yet, Tala?" rained over the children.

At last the hosts of the party came to the scene and Kai got to see the McGregors for the first time. The men were both red haired. Johnny was the oldest son of the couple, Thomas and Miranda, and he looked to be your typical temperamental redhead, but not as refined as Tala.

The boy was much an image of his father, but his mother was different. She was a round woman with a wide, beautiful smile and freckles. She was wearing blue skirts and her brown hair was gathered in a braided bun. Still, Kai thought, she could not compare to Lady Sarah. The two women looked to be good friends, for they hugged warmly.

Strangely enough Johnny didn't head straight over to Tala; instead he greeted the adults politely and hurried around the corner of the house, looking quite devilish. Tala was puzzled, but did not pursue the boy.

Mrs. McGregor noticed the children then and came over to hug them as well. She held Danielle's hands for a moment and admired her dress, "You do look so good in yellow, Danielle, but then you look good in everything, don't you? You know, I think I saw Wyatt and Frankie on the other side of the house. Why don't you go play with them? They have been asking for you."

The girl ran along, with Rei reluctantly trailing, and Tala stepped up to the woman. He opened his mouth to speak but he was stopped when Lady Miranda put a finger to his lips, "Don't say it. They are all here and when last I saw them they were on the left side of the house. I'll just write your name on the scroll and then I will be right over to pick out a demon for you."

She laughed, and Tala shook his head with a smile, "You know me too well, my lady." He gestured for Kai to follow and headed towards the corner of the house.

What on earth had that woman been talking about? Kai shot her a questioning look over his shoulder, but he did not get the chance to ask Tala about it; they were just turning the corner when the redhead was attacked by a big lump of arms and legs. Kai jumped out of the way and watched as they play-wrestled in the grass before disentangling themselves.

There were three boys; Bryan, Johnny and a tall, red-haired kid with an air of arrogance about him. Behind them came a larger group of boys, among them Spencer, but apart from him they were all strangers to Kai. He kept his distance and watched as Tala was helped to his feet by a tall boy with purple hair.

'_Wait a second…I know him!'_ Suddenly Kai's stomach was doing flip-flops. This was the kid who had bought Lee and Mariah! Maybe they were here.

"Tala! We thought you would never arrive." The purple haired kid shook his hand. His speech and manner was very formal.

Tala laughed, "And quite the welcome I got as well. You nearly gave me a heart-attack."

The tall redhead slapped his back good-naturedly and said, "We just wanted to see if you were ready for the game, but you went down like a wet blanket. The demon will have an easy job today."

There it was with that strange talk again, but this time Kai did not dare to ask. The crowd made him nervous, although he could not quite pinpoint why. There was something about their familiarity with each other and the opinion of slaves that he all knew they shared. He had a feeling that Tala would not, or could not, protect him from these boys. He jumped when he was suddenly spoken to, and he had to ask Tala to repeat himself, earning some chuckles from the crowd.

"I said; this is Michael Dalton. You remember?" Tala looked sort of annoyed.

It seemed that Tuesday's awkwardness had been pushed into the shadows, but Kai kept up his obedience game. He hastened to nod.

Michael studied him, "Not the brightest pea in the pod, eh? I'm so glad mom and dad were talked from buying me a slave. I wouldn't have the slightest idea what to use it for."

More laughter, but Kai was not amused. _'It?'_

He wasn't planning on doing anything, but Tala must have seen something in his eyes, because he gave Kai a warning shake of the head.

Johnny studied Kai, "I've heard quite a bit about this boy. Is it true that he has attacked you on several occasions?"

Kai took a step back, feeling suddenly twice as nervous, but Tala shook his head, "Only once. Rumours always exaggerate."

Michael laughed, "So it wasn't his fault that we couldn't visit you last Sunday?"

Tala sighed, not wanting to talk about this, "Yes, that was his fault, but Kai isn't so bad, really!"

Everyone was laughing now, and Robert said, "You don't have much luck in slaves, do you? Does this one stand by your bed at night, like the last one did?"

Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing; Tala had had another slave? Why hadn't he been told? The whole thing got even weirder when Tala looked cautiously at Kai, and shook his head at the others. That was the last straw; it was time to ask what the heck was going on, but just as Kai opened his mouth, there was another call; Mrs. McGregor was coming towards them with a bright smile on her face. Kai had to wonder if she ever had a bad day, but as the boys went to greet her he got hold of Tala, "Master, may I be excused for a moment?"

He got an inquisitive look, but permission as well, "Just remember to come back soon; there are some things you should know."

So some things would be explained. With this relief, Kai hurried into the crowd. He looked around and tried to spot purple hair or a pink ribbon, but neither of the things were anywhere to be found. He had almost given up when a clear voice penetrated the buzzing of the crowd and reached Kai's ears. Sweet music!

Kai changed his directions and ran until he could throw himself around the neck of a very surprised Lee. As soon as he was recognised the slate haired boy was crushed in the Tiger's powerful embrace. When they finally let go they found they were not the only one with tears in their eyes; Mariah hugged Kai as well, with much joy and a little bit desperation.

"Kai! Oh, I just can't believe it's you! We didn't think we would ever see you again." She looked him up and down as if not believing that it was really him.

Lee put a hand on his shoulder, "How have you been faring, my friend?"

Kai shook his head, "That's a long story, Lee, and frankly I am more interested in what on earth happened to you two after we parted."

So they found themselves a spot a bit away from the crowd and sat down on the grass. Lee cleared his throat and began his tale.

"We were bought by the Jurgens; an old and eccentric family who lives in a large castle far from here. There are not many other people there apart from old Gustav. The boy who came up on the platform to get us was Robert. He is the only boy in the family and he has just come of age, so his parents decided to test him by letting him buy a slave from the market without their help. They were pleased with his decision to buy Mariah, but they did not really like me at first.

Strangely enough it was I who was set to be Robert's personal servant. I suppose they saw the benefits of getting a boy instead of a girl for him. Mariah has been helping the cook and looking after Frankie, who is Robert's little sister. Life in the castle is dull and we both longed for freedom, but every escape attempt was thwarted and heavily punished. I often lay awake at night wondering whether I should have stayed with Kevin and Gary. We were worried about you as well, and that boy you were with…"

Lee did not get any further than that, because Kai had just jumped to his feet. "Of course! You two have to meet Rei!"

Mariah was beside him instantly, "You mean he is here? Now?"

Lee rose as well, "Lead the way, my friend."

But now Kai halted, "I don't know where he is…but he is bound to be somewhere with Danielle."

Mariah came to the rescue, "She is playing with Frankie. I know where!"

They followed the pink-haired girl through the crowd. They had to walk the entire length of the house but in the end they drew close to a small group of children, gathered by the wall. Danielle and Adria were there and beside them sat a petite girl with purple hair. Also with them was a lean boy with brown hair and some resemblance to Johnny. Rei looked bored half to death, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He seemed to have been assigned to holding their toys for the moment.

Suddenly his ears twitched, and he opened his eyes. As soon as he spotted the incoming trio his expression changed from bored to wide-eyed. He ran in their direction, ignoring his mistress' angry protests when he dropped the doll he had been holding. Rei and Mariah stopped a few meters apart from each other, simply staring. It was Mariah who moved first, embracing Rei as if she knew him. He clutched her right back, hardly believing his luck.

"At last," he almost whispered.

Lee was getting tears in his eyes again. When Mariah finally let go and stepped back it was the leader of the Tiger's turn, he held out a hand and Rei took it, just holding on to it. Suddenly Lee made a strange exclamation and turned Rei's hand, staring at his wrist. "That mark, that mark is just like mine!" He held up his own wrist and Kai saw that both boys had a tiger-like figure in black and red on their inner wrists.

Rei spoke for the first time then, "It is the mark of a leader, but I don't have a pack to lead. I used to belong to one, but most of the family was killed during a police raid. I escaped with a few others, but they are all dead or taken prisoner now."

"We escaped from that police raid as well; me, Mariah, Kevin and Gary. Rei, you're a Tiger." Lee looked like he was actually going to start crying.

Rei looked down at their marked wrists. He sounded sort of choked when he said, "I thought I was the only one left."

Kai watched the trio with amusement. It was sort of annoying in truth; Rei had been there that same night when Kai lost his parents. He would have found out sooner if he and Rei hadn't been so busy arguing. And kissing. Suddenly he remembered; Tala had told him to hurry!

"Hey, guys?" He called. The felines turned to him, and he continued, "I've got to go, or Tala will murder me, but I'll see you around." They waved, and Kai ran back around the house.


	17. The Party II

Another Day

Chapter 17

_The Party II_

He had to look for a while before he found his master. Tala was talking to a tall boy with glasses and a brown ponytail. He had been in the crowd of boys earlier. Kai headed for them, but then he noticed Bryan sneaking towards the same goal. The pale boy crouched down, before going into a full sprint, straight towards Tala. Kai did not have much time to think so he acted on instinct. He ran.

Luckily Bryan did not seem to be much of a hurry so Kai came just in time. He pushed Tala away before Bryan crashed into him and sent him flying to the ground. He sat up and winced in pain; once again he had managed to land on his back and the new welts were still tender. He rose unsteadily and looked up just in time to see Tala striding towards him. Kai was not sure what he expected to hear, but what he got was definitely not it.

"What did you do that for, you moron?" Tala shouted.

"I was just…but…he was going right for you!" Kai replied, not understanding what was wrong.

Tala growled, "We were playing a game, blockhead! If you hadn't run off I could have told you to stay out of it! Now I am disqualified!"

Kai was getting upset as well, "I was just trying to help, why can't-"

He was cut short when Tala yelled, "No!" and slapped him hard. "I knew he was coming, and I didn't need your help. I might even have won this time!"

Kai blinked away the tears of pain that were threatening to make him look even more pathetic than he already seemed. A circle, including many of the other upper-class boys who had to be in on the game as well, had gathered around the two, watching interestedly. Kai tried to tell himself that he should have known, but it did not ease the disappointment and pain that was slowly spreading in his chest; Tala didn't like him, didn't want him. It hurt like hell.

"I just can't believe you messed up again! I should have kept Carlos; at least he didn't ruin things wherever he went," Tala shouted.

Kai was suddenly struggling to breathe. "C-Carlos?"

No! This was not how it was supposed to be! Carlos had been Tala's first servant? It was like the parting of clouds and the sudden brilliance of the sun burning him to cinders. It all fell into place.

'_So that is why he hates me,'_ Kai thought.

That numbing pain was still filling his chest. Tala looked like he had said too much, but Kai had no sympathy for him. He turned away and began to leave.

"Kai, come back here!" Tala yelled, but Kai did not stop. A hand settled on his shoulder, but the slate haired boy turned blindly and slammed his fist into Tala's cheek. Then he ran.

Behind him he heard Bryan's slightly apraising, "That had to hurt."

He ran around the corner of the house and stopped there, angrily wiping at his eyes and glaring at anyone who looked his way. He kept on walking, but he was so busy with the war of emotions inside him he didn't see the person walking his way with a stack of plates in her arms. They crashed together and the plates went flying in every direction. Kai fell backwards and sat a little dazed on the grass, looking at the girl. She had short, dark green hair and wore a rather revealing dress. She looked angry, but as she watched him her expression changed.

Kai got to his feet and held out a hand to help her up, "Sorry. I should have been more careful."

She took his hand and stood, but she did not let go, instead using the firm grip to drag herself as close to him as she could. Pressing her body against his, she smiled suggestively, "No worries handsome, I am ok, but maybe you could make it up to me somewhere more private?"

Kai swallowed as her realised what she wanted, and she was certainly not one for walking around the bushes, "Um…I haven't even learned your name yet."

Kai had no romantic experience with girls at all, and he faltered, wondering how the heck he was going to get out of this.

His rescue came out of nowhere, "Meredith, you slut, get away from that boy and start gathering plates; the guests are waiting!"

The girl jumped away from Kai as if burned. She began gathering the dropped plates at incredible speed, mumbling excuses and bobbing curtesies all the while.

Kai looked from the distressed girl to the boy that had to be her owner. It was the boy with the brown hair and glasses. They magnified his green eyes several times and made his otherwise handsome face look a bit dorky. Despite his young apperance he had quite a deep voice. He looked about Kai's age.

The slave was studied with equal interest, "You must have some guts, hitting your master that way. Either that or you are new. The new ones are always overconfident."

Kai watched him a bit more wearily, "I can't say that there is much difference between overconfidence, guts and simple desperation anymore."

The boy seemed satisfied with that answer, for he nodded, "You aren't new then."

The boy was wearing a white shirt and lilac pants; there was nothing special to recognice him from, so he didn't think Tala had spoken of this boy before. "I am new enough not to know everbody by name, though; who are you?" Kai said.

The boy adjusted his glasses in much the same way that Emily did now and then, "You can call me Kenny; I am not one for fancy titles."

Kai nodded. He noticed firstly now how Meredith was walking away from them, clutching the plates tight to her chest and darting quick glances back at her master.

Kenny shook his head, "I still don't know why we bought her. She is worse than Michael when it comes to chasing the opposite sex."

Just then an interesting noise reached Kai's ears. It was the sound of a battle. Kenny heard it too, and saw that Kai did, "No worries; it's just the game, and now that I know who is the demon there is no reason to check it out."

He seemed confident in this conclusion, but Kai wasn't so sure, "Unless you let slaves play the game with you, that is not a part of your amusement." Because the cries belonged to Enrique. Kenny raised an eyebrow, shaking his head as Kai ran.

Kai had never been able to easily watch as someone else was exposed to injustice, but in the streets there was only so much you could do to save a fellow thief once he had been caught. Yet after his own imprissonment he had faced many things more horrible and unfair than a rat being brought to the platform and as it was now the thought of staying out of the way didn't even cross his mind.

Enrique staggered back onto his feet just to be dealth another blow. He went back down, and Oliver was kicked away viciously when he tried to reach his beloved. Bryan was seething, furious and merciless. Enrique leaped, and managed to trip Bryan onto the ground. They rolled around on the grass, punching and kicking, with Oliver trying to stop them both.

"Don't fight over me!" He yelled, but no one was listening.

Finally Bryan got in a good hit, sending his blonde opponent sprawling. The purplenet got back on his feet, breathing heavily. He licked his split lip, tasting the blood. Enrique sat up, shielding his badly bruised face with one arm, but as Bryan prepared to kick again something came between them.

The lilac-haired boy sneered contemptiously, "You. Can't you ever stay out of other people's business?"

Kai stood firm, matching the boy glare for glare, "I suggest you leave now, because I am not backing down. And Tala isn't here to drag me away."

Bryan just smiled, "I'll just take you down as well. You are underestimating me, slave." He drew his hand back suddenly, and Kai shielded his face automatically, waiting for the blow.

It didn't come.

Kai opened his eyes to find Tala holding Bryan back, his hand firm around the other boy's wrist. Bryan looked shocked. Kai felt both the old hurt and a swell of pride well up in him as the redhead spoke, calmly, "I will never give you permission to hit Kai, Bryan. No matter what he does. And I believe that my father has told you what he thinks of you punishing Enrique. They are my slaves, and you should have come to me, instead of taking matters into your own hands...again."

The purple haired boy jerked his hand free, but he lowered it and turned to face the young Ivanov. "But Oliver is _my_ slave, and I want that blonde cassanova to stay away from him," he pointed furiously at Enrique, who was looking at the two masters with one hand on Oliver's arm.

Tala spoke again, still calm and composed, "I think it is about time I was honest with you, Bryan. You can't treat your slaves this way! They may be property, and you may be the owner, but the way you go about will leave Oliver unfit to do anything. You are waisting him! I think I have been tolerant of your violence long enough. It is time for a change, Bryan. It is way past time."

Bryan was far from calm and composed, though, and he snarled at Tala, "So this is how you feel. Nice to know what sort of friends I have." He pushed past the redhead, stalking away.

Tala looked after him sadly. Then he took a deep breath and turned his attention to the three other boys. He studied Kai first, "You and I must talk." Then he looked at Enrique, "Why don't you take Oliver back to Mr. and Mrs. Totzanavitz for now."

But the blonde bit his lip and replied, "No. I want to stay here with Oliver." He managed to look pleading and demanding at the same time. Tala sighed heavily and then he glared at Kai, of all things! It wasn't his fault that the blonde had grown a backbone!

"Alright, stay here if you wish, but don't get into trouble. Come on, Kai." He took only a few steps before stopping, "And I mean it too; you'll be following and you will be listening. I have already been ignored more times than I can handle today." He resumed his walking, but added as an afterthough, "And it always seems to be your fault somehow."

Kai trudged after his master, wondering what more would be said. Then he wondered where they were going. They passed Danielle and her friends. Rei had gone back to holding toys, and Mariah was sitting beside the girls on the blanket. The boy, Wyatt, was casting weary glances at Lee, who was leaning on the wall next to Rei, looking amused at something. No wonder the boy was frightened with those fangs showing.

But when he saw Kai, Lee's smile faded. "Um, Kai, wait!" Tala stopped as well, and Lee gave him a distracted half-bow, "I'm sorry, sir, but I really need to talk to Kai, and-"

"It can wait. He'll be free in a bit," Tala replied and walked on. Kai had no choice but to shrug apologetically and follow his master.

Tala stopped in a relatively empty spot with a few garden chairs and a white table. The place was far from empty, but there weren't anyone sitting there at present, and Tala seemed to want Kai to sit. At the slave's sceptic look he explained, "It isn't so easy to storm off when you are sitting, and your fists can't reach my face." He rubbed his cheek which was red and swollen, and Kai coloured.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you, master," he said.

Tala shook his head, "No, it is I who should be apologising. I should have made sure that you knew about the game. It's just that we are all very passionate about this and I was caught up in the idea of winning for once."

Finally Kai got the opportunity that he had been waiting for, "What is this game about, master?"

So Tala began to explain. The game was called Demon. One player was chosen to be demon, and that player would have to tackle all the other players to the ground before it turned night. If he did it he would win a prize. Kai listened with interest. It sounded fun, and Tala told him that the upper-class boys had been playing it for years.

"…so there you have it. I really am sorry for yelling at you, but the next time you hit me like that I will have you grounded," Tala finished. The last threat was disarmed by his smile, though.

Kai nodded anyway, thinking to himself that he would never again hit his master, if only to prove that he could refrain from it. It was odd, this feeling of wanting to please.

He stood, and for a moment he was overwhelmed by his desire for this boy. Tala was a predator; graceful and deadly, beautiful. Before he could stop himself he leaned in, and pressed their lips together.

Tala was shocked at first, but that quickly faded; he let Kai have his way for a few seconds before gently pushing him back, "Kai. We can't."

Kai's mind wasn't quite working yet, but a slow understanding dawned on his face.

Tala smiled at him, "I have a girlfriend now, whom I love. And I think that there is someone else who would be much better for you."

Kai had a feeling that after this there wouldn't be a surprise left for him in the world; every single one of them had been sprung on him today. "A girlfriend?" He asked.

Tala nodded, "I…guess I should have told you, but…I'm an awful coward."

The slave just shook his head, brushing it off, while feeling more confused than ever.

The redhead looked sympathetically at him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on, Kai."

Together they began to walk back to the others.

"Um, master? Who is it that you think will be much better for me? Master? Master!"


End file.
